


The Sally Armstrong Story

by Gaz042



Category: Big Finish - Fandom, Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio), Torchwood
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-08-01 05:38:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 45,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16278743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaz042/pseuds/Gaz042
Summary: Sally Armstrong has died 3 times now but for some reason is still not dead.  but out of her original timeline, she is lucky to stumble upon some people who may be able to help here.  but can she trust Jack and Torchwood?





	1. Chapter 1

Her name was Sally, at least that's what she thought it was. She wasn't quite sure anymore. She was in a place they called Torchwood. A man named Jack found her, but everything before that was fuzzy. How did she get there, she kept asking herself. Whenever there was, there was a lot of tec around her. Some she recognized as human and others were clearly alien.

Nothing made sense to her anymore. Was she dreaming, was still dreaming now. Had what she thought was past memories just a dream? I mean, you very well can't die three times and still be the same person. Could you?

She thought back to all her deaths. Once she was killed by metal robots. Some odd name. She closed her eyes trying to think of it, slowly taking her fingers on the table. Droids, no, that wasn't it. It did start with a D, she knew that much. Dra, no, donuts, DEFINITELY not donuts. She giggled at that, the most dangerous beings in the universe are called donuts. DALEKS! Her eyes shot open as she slammed her hand on the table. That was it, they were Daleks.

They had been in 2 of her 3 deaths. But had they had only killed her the once? The other time she was tricked into being part on an awful experiment meant for someone else. And the other one. Well, that was quite embarrassing compared to the other two. She was just rain over, by taxi.

But the two that were more exciting she had meant aliens. The one just gave her a lot of money to make something for him, well the other. She stopped what she was thinking, her heart fell as she thought about that one. He had been her friend. He respected her. And the thought of him being fiction hurt her more then she would ever admit.

Two people walked into the room she was sitting in. Jack had been one of them, he had a straight face well the girl who followed behind looked worried and sympathetically at her. Jack put his hand out towed Gwen. "Hi, sorry to keep you waiting, this is Gwen" He nodded to the girl behind him. " We will do everything thing we can to help you." she nodded to acknowledge her.

"I'm Sally" It was the one thing that seemed to consist with her life. "What do you mean help? What are you helping me with." she felt weary of anyone who said they wanted to help but not showing their reason for wanting to do so.

Gwen set down next to her and reached for her hands. Not to shake them but to hold them. "We have dealt with things like this before. Time travel is a very hard thing to deal with and."

Sally didn't get her time to finish her speech. "Time travel, what do you mean?" She had ever intention on her words to come out calm but panic was written all over them. They thought they had understood her distress at this point.

"It's the year 2018 Sally" Jack said calmly, as he did something with his hands trying to use them to mistreat what he was talking about. "we are in an area that strange things sometimes happen. We can't really take you home, but we can make you comfortable." He paused to see her reaction, she gave a soft nerve laugh. "Let me guess, taking from your clothes, you're from somewhere in the 1970s?" He asked as he looked her up and down.

"1970s? Um, yes, that's it exactly." She answered. This was a lie, well almost. She had been in the 1970s once, but it felt so long ago she could hardly remember. She tried to think, to remember what it had been like. Why couldn't she remember that? "This has to be a dream," She said more to herself than to the others.

Gwen had the same Sympathetic look as before as she squeezed her hand ever so slightly. "A lot has changed, but we will do all we can to make the tradition as easy as possible for you."

Sally laughed, she had no idea if her memories were true or not. Even if they were all in her head she had members of doing and seeing so much. She had seen the beginning of the world all the way to the very end, and a lot if the bits in between. It didn't really matter when she was, none of it seem all that scary after that. But she wouldn't say any of that, she merely tried her best to put a face on that she thought someone who hadn't seen as much as he would have had.

"Have you dealt with this kind of thing before then?" She asked, trying to sound like none of this made any sense to her. jack and Gwen gave each other a look that told her it did happen before and that it didn't end well. She couldn't help but wonder what went wrong at that time.

"Gwen looked back at her, Sally couldn't help but feel that if she had been concerned about her predicament, that Gwen's face wouldn't have helped one bit. " Don't worry about any of it, we'll take care of you. There is a hotel we have set up for you to stay at." She then handed her a small bag. "Here are basics hygiene products and we can go shopping tomorrow for anything else you may need." Sally looked into the bag. There was nothing unexpected. As she closed the bag she was handed a cell phone.

"This is a phone, it will be the fastest way for you to get ahold of us." Sally took the small box from her and opened it. She had seen cell phones before and this one seemed like a simplified version of what she was used to. Maybe it was intended for children? Maybe they were just not as advanced yet she thought as she twirled it around her hands a few times. After all, she was traveling with a timelord.

She burst out laughing at the thought of it. Maybe she was going crazy. " I know, it's more than what your use to" Jack began " Technology has come a long way since your time.

She looked up from the phone. "Is your numbers already in her then?" She asked, not paying Jack any mind. "I mean, there is no point in my having this if I don't have your information to get ahold of you."

Jack eyed her suspiciously as he took the phone from her and when to the contact menu. "Here" He pointed to the two names already programmed into the phone. There they were, Jack and Gwen.

"Good," She said putting the phone in her back pocket as she got up.


	2. Chapter 2

Gwen took her to the hotel she would be staying at. It was a little run down but it seemed clean enough. She couldn't help but think about how nice her room was in the TARDIS. Then she sighed if only that was real. But then again, it really wasn't that far from what was going on now? She didn't know anymore. Maybe this was yet another strange dream that she would die at the end and end up somewhere just as strange. 

Gwen gave her that same stupid look as before. She forced a smile "I'll be fine" trying to sound conniving. If there was one thing that bothered her was people hiding things from her. She knew they knew a lot more then they were letting on and until they felt she was content they wouldn't tell her anything. "I should be good for tonight, I think after today I can fall asleep within minutes from now." For now, she had to play along, no matter what the truth was, if she was crazy or not she would need them, for now.

As reluctant as Gwen was to leave her alone she got the hint. "Call me" She put her and on Sally's again "I don't care what time it is if you need anything, anything at all. Even if you just want someone to talk to. Don't hesitate to call me." She forced a smile before she left the room.

Sally rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her. "God, you think she wasn't going to be back first thing in the morning." She threw the bag on the one side of the bed and let herself flop on the other side. A few seconds later she felt her eyes get really heavy, hu? she thought maybe I really was that tired. Before she could think of anything else she had fallen asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

She woke up, but it wasn't the same room she had fallen asleep in. It was much nicer. The walls were white with a soft blue trim. The sheet and blankets were much softer and fluffier than the ones of the hotel. They shared the color with the walls, white with lighting blue flowers that we're almost not noticeable unless you really looked hard. The air in this room was much more pleasant than in the hotel room. She was submerged within the blankets, so comfortable she almost didn't want to get up.

But she did, the corridor that awaited her outside her room was much different. Silver walls with many doors on both sides that went on what seemed like forever. Not really putting too much thought into it she begins to walk ignoring all the doors until she got to one that was 13 doors down and to the left from her room.

As she opened the door it opened to a large console room. A bold man had his back to her as she entered. As she closed the door he swung around. "Hello, you!" He said with a large grin on his face. "I take it you slept well? Everything up to code. I don't have many guests so I'm not sure what the standards are for you humans." there was something very inhuman about his smile as he spoke to her. As if he was doing his best to play a part.

"It was fine," She said more interested in the room in which she was now standing. She tried to remember what had happened the night before. Aug, why couldn't she remember. This was clearly some spacecraft, but she couldn't remember what the outside looked like. Wait she thought. She remembers going in somewhere with him. It was, not that doesn't make sense she told herself. They had gone into what looked like a grandfather clock. That must have been a dream. She pushed the thought out of her head as she tried to think about them boarding this ship. Why couldn't she remember?

She only stopped trying to think about these things when she caught him staring at her. "Are you all right?" he asked, a trace amount of concert on his face. Before his alien smile re-emerged. "Go ahead, say it" He strained at her.

"Say what," She asked, not understanding anything that was going on.

He leaned in a little and lowered his voice. "That it is bigger on the inside." He strung himself out looking very pleased with himself. 

Her eyes widened. "So we really didn't get in here from the grandfather clock. Was it some sort of teleporter to this ship?"

His grin widened. "Not exactly" He began "you see, this is what we Time Lords call a TARDIS. And the outside discusses itself as anything I want. And—"

She interrupted "So it could be something other than a grandfather clock?"

His smile faded, everything about his face turned cold. "DO NOT ever interrupt me again. If there is one thing I will not stand for that is being interrupted. And if you're going to be traveling with me you must learn the rules, because if not I will be more than happy to desert you on whatever chunk of rock is the closes at the time. And I don't need to say in all of the time in space that increases your chances of that particular place may very well be uninhabitable" He said this in a calm manner, never raising his voice but harsh nonetheless. Sally got the distinct impression he was not someone you want to be cross with you. She would also learn that wasn't the only thing he wouldn't stand for. But at that moment she thought it best to quickly apologized, almost as if flipping a switch his grin was back on his face.

"But to answer your question yes, it could be a grandfather clock, a pillar, a palm tree, and statue, and iron maiden. Almost anything you can think of. Probably even more than what you are capable of thinking of thinking of with that puny little mind of yours." he began to turn around when Sally spoke up.

"This is incredible, what else can it do?" as she asked he smiled at her. "well I don't know if it would interest you or not, but this is also a time machine. Anywhere in all of space and time" This peaked her interest as her eyes lit up. "I can go anywhere and when I want. It's really quite nice. To be truly free to do whatever you want. I personally couldn't think of any other way to live your life."

Sally had been so over excited by this she found herself almost skipping over to where he was standing. "Can you teach me" She blurted out without even thinking.

The man laughed at her. "Teach you to drive the TARDIS? Ohh, I think not. This isn't just some." He seemed to be thinking for a moment "some car you can just learn how to drive in a day, it takes years, and precise percussion and it takes a time Lord's brain. Oh No my dear, no matter how hard you try I don't think you will be able to be able to just learn how to drive my TARDIS. Besides, this is my most praised position, this is my home. I'm not just going to let anyone's grubby fingers all over it. No office."

He could see the disappointment on her face. "I will, however, will be happy to show you around. Where would you like to go? Remember, we will have to keep the distension in the very stick parameters of any were in all of time and space. That's not a problem, is it?"

She thought for a moment, then finally answered. "The end"

"The end? " He repeated.

"Yes, I want to see how it looks ends" She tried her best to sound confident in her choice. The inhuman grin crept across his face again as he pulled some levers and taped some buttons. Sally did her best to watch him but not make it to obvious that she was doing it.

"Well then, Dr. Sally Armstrong. To the end of it all" he pulled another lever and a moment later the spacecraft was clearly no longer stationery as the TARDIS made its way to the end of the universe.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a pounding on the door. "Sally! It's me, Gwen." Sally jumped up from out of bed as she rubbed her eyes. She was back in the dark and cold hotel room. She heard a banging on the door again. "Sally, you in there?"

She groaned as she got out of bed. "Where else would I be?" She made her way to the door to let the girl in. She was grinning from ear to ear.

"I was thinking we could get you some new clothes today and then maybe get some food for you. How does that sound?"

"Great," The words come out more sarcastic than intended. And in this case, she really did think that it sounded like a lovely idea. She blinked her eyes again. "Sorry," she blurted out. "You think we can get some coffee first? I mean, coffee is still a thing right?"

She was hoping in this reality there was still such a thing as coffee. "Yes," Gwen said with a smile and a slight sigh of relief. "We can do coffee and breakfast."

"Good, let me just..." She was going to say put a change of clothes but she remembers she didn't have any. When Gwen pulled up a bag.

"I don't know how well this will fit, but I think we are about the same size. I brought this from home until you can get your own." Sally happy accepted the bag and got ready.


	5. Chapter 5

The two girls sat at the table sipping on their coffees, their breakfast plates pushed to the side. Gwen couldn't help but stare at Sally. She seemed so comfortable with everything. She told herself it must not have kicked in yet. That everyone she loved was... well, dead, and everything she knew was changed. But there she was, as if everything was natural to her. Either that or she was putting up a really good front. She couldn't, she wouldn't be the one to put the thoughts in her head. She would realize them on her own. All she could do is hope they are close enough for her to talk to her about it all.

"You know, I think I may enjoy today," she said, giving Gwen a small smile. "I had so much on my mind the other night, but I think, I think" She chuckled to herself "well I don't know what I think yet" She took a sip of her coffee. "But I have dealt with a lot worse and this isn't so bad."

"You're not going to miss—" Gwen began but then stopped herself.

"My family and friends?" She asked, but to Gwen's surprise, she did not seem upset by this thought. In fact, she was grinding. "No, I had a friend once who said never look back because there is no point. Besides, they're all still alive at some time right?" Gwen stared at her. " I had decided one of two things are happening. I'm either crazy and none of this was real or anything is possible. Either way, I'm not going to let it get me down."

"That's the spirit." Gwen didn't quite believe she would be able to keep this attitude up but it was good for now. "Mrs. Sally Armstrong, I'll think you'll make it."

"Doctor." Sally corrected her. Gwen watched her with a blank look on her face. "I'm a doctor, not a missus."

She when to say something but the words didn't come out. She screwed her face up a bit. Sally gave her the same look back. The words came out of her mouth quiet award as she tried to think of a way to say it without sounding rude. "I'm sorry, I just, I thought. I thought that women wouldn't be able to, at that time. That it would have been a very hard thing to do." Sally watched her for a moment. "I didn't mean to make you upset" Gwen quickly said.

"Oh, no" she answered, " I would hope that becoming a Doctor would always be something you had to put some effect in. If it was something anyone could do then it wouldn't feel as important once you archived it." she tried to put on a smile just to get her to stop making that face.

"I know" Sally finally broke the silence after a few minutes. "Why don't you tell me where are some good places to shop at are?" this took Gwen's mind off their refuse conversion and she started talking about all the place they could go shopping. With her mind on other things, Sally was able to think about the things she really wanted to do. She would have to find out if Dr. Harcourt De'ath was a real person, then go from there. She walked alongside Gwen as she kept talking about things she wasn't quite interested in, mostly her husband and kids. If she would be honest she only heard about every third sentence that came out of Gwen's mouth. That was untilled she slipped what she did for work. With the unknown, with aliens. This peeked Sally's interest. Oh, how wonderful, she thought. This could be the first steps to my plane.

To her surprise, she did begin to enjoy her time with the girl after they started talking about things that were more interesting. she pulled the conversion to space and aliens. Gwen did her best to try to change the topic until she realized Sally knew what she was talking about. She may actually know more than me about this stuff Gwen thought to herself.


	6. Chapter 6

"So this is the end?" Sally asked as she stood on the edge of a cliff looking into the void.

"Yep, end of the trail. Absolutely nothing. All those people, all their accomplishments, amount to this." he paused as he walked to where she was standing. "Nothing" he pulled what she assumed he thought was a sympathetic face. But just resulted in him looking very uncomfortable. "Oh, don't tell me it's not what you expected. I have to say, throwing yourself into the void is not the answer. Not after I snatched you up from death itself. Don't tell me I wasted my time trying to get you a new lease of life."

He had mistaken her thinking for her being upset. She thought it was cute, but she had to make it clear he was wrong. She gave him a small smile. "Is that how you see the world, pointless?" she gave him a seconded to think about the question but not enough time to answer it. "I have no desire to end it just because I saw this. Fact, it makes me want to do more. If this is how it all ends, I want to make as much of the universe know who I am before it's all over. I want everyone to know I made a difference. are you telling me you have no ambition because of this? I haven't known you long but I have a feeling it just makes you work that much harder, doing whatever it takes to make as much of a difference as you can. I want" she was going to go on until she saw the way he was looking at her.

It was the first time he didn't have one of his masks on, there was no hatred, no anger, no playing the full, no ego. When he realized that she was seeing him he turned his face, clearing his throat "You know most people when they see this give up." he said before the wicked grin was back. "I think we can do a lot together Dr. Armstrong. There is a war on Sally, a time war. My own people, the same ones who wanted no part of me for thousands of years are begging for my help. If something isn't done this nothingness with coming a lot sooner. Or even worse, just be all that there is. I travel alone, always have, but if I'm going to have to save to world, maybe it's time to accept some help. I have seen your work, I know what you are capable of and from what you said her, I think we may be a good fit for one another" she couldn't help but smile at this. She didn't fully know what he was at that point, but she knew he was much more than any human she had meat. "Dr. Sally Armstrong, I don't say this often, but how would you like to help me save the world?"

She stood next to him and nodded. For a moment he looked at her with a mix of shock and horror on his face. But he didn't say anything to oppose her doing so either.

She knew this wasn't going to be an easier task, what he was asking of her, there would be a lot of sacrifices that would have to be made. He still looked uncomfortable with her holding his hand. She wondered how long he had been traveling alone.

Maybe he needed her more than just someone to help in this war he talked about, maybe he needed a friend?

He could see the gears working in her head, he smiled at this. Not only would this be the perfect way to get his hand on the eyes Institut but he was well in his way to corrupt one of the Doctor's would be a companion.


	7. Chapter 7

"How was the shopping?" Jack asked as the two girls returned, giggling as they made it to the main hub. "I take it went well," he said, sounding almost surprised.

"Oh yes, we had had a great time," Gwen said in between gasp for breath. "Show him the new outfit." she gestured for Sally who did a quick twirled around. She too was all smiles as she did this.

"Nice," Jack said as he smiled at the two girls. And unspoken approval to Gwen who managed to give this girl a good day out.

"I hear you work with aliens," Sally blurted out. Jack gave her a looked then turned to Gwen with a stern look on his face. "Oh, no. please don't be mad at her. I mean it was kind of obvious something strange was going on here. I kind of pulled it out of her." She tried her best to defend Gwen and it seemed to work. Jack seemed to loosen up a bit from her words. "I, what I meant to say is... it's just the two of you, and I don't have a job. That is if you are in need of a doctor, I would love to fill that spot.

Jack folded his arms as he took a step back to look at her. "A doctor, you say?"

"Yes, and I know a bit about astronomy if that helps." He didn't seem convinced, she had to do something. "Oh come on," She put a little bit of a whine in her voice and gave her best pout. She wasn't proud of this moment, but she had to admit she was really good at it. "What else am I supposed to do, everything I knew and loved is gone or dead. I promise I can be a great asset to you."

He smiled at this looking down at his feet before answering. "Okay, but on a temporary basis for now."

Sally grind as she turned to face Gwen who wasn't expecting her to ask that but was happy for her nonetheless. Without either of them thinking about it they both gave each other a hug.

"When can I start?" joy filling her eyes.

"Tomorrow," Jack answered.

"Then I should get back to the hotel to get some rest." She turned to grab her bags before starting for the door. Gwen grabbed a few and told her she would walk her back to the hotel.

"I want you two here first thing in the morning!" Jack called out.

"I'll bring her with me," Gwen called back as the two left.


	8. Chapter 8

"I don't understand, why can't you teach me how to fly this thing?" Sally followed him around the center conceal. 

He stopped what he was doing to turn and face her that almost caused her to walk right into him. "This thing is one of the most sophisticated technologies in all of time and space and is the single most important thing I own. And I will not have you calling my TARDIS a thing! And two; I'm not some idiot who thinks a reasonable way to fix a TARDIS is with the blunt end of a hammer. And—"

"What does I flying a TARDIS has to do with hitting it with a hammer?" Sally eyed him, brow twitching.

His eyes widened as she spoke "Do not interrupt me! And that's not the point. The point is it is a very precise machinery and I'm not going to just let anyone touch her," he said, sounding more irritated by the second.

"Her?" She found herself giggling at this.

"It, it," he began. "It is a precise machinery."

"Well then, show me the basics if you can't show me everything. Maybe just show me how to open the door?" she didn't let him waver her. She stood in front of him smiling at him as he scowled at her. 

"It's not that easy. You can't just open the door. There are things you must do first. You have no idea what is out there or even if the air is safe to breathe." As he went on, she turned at the controls. And started touching some of them. "Stop that! Are you not listening to a word I have said? You can't just—" Then he stopped as she watched what she was doing.

"This one is to turn on the monitor, right?" she asked as the monitor came on. "And these right here, they are the readings of the air and the environment?" she pointed to a second monitor that had a bunch of circles on she couldn't read.

He stretched out his hand to reach for the monitor with the circles sprawled across it, leaning over so he was within inches of Sally. "And I suppose next you'll be saying you can read Gallifreyan?" She ignored the smugness of his smile, moving her face an inch closer to prove some kind of the point, or so that's what she told herself.

"Well, I guess my evil plan is to learn how to fly your ship and still it is foiled. I guess I'll be stuck with you." His face froze for a moment before pulling a lever on the console. The door flung open as a smile formed back on his face.

"That's how you open the doors for the console." He pulled away from where he was standing, making it to the opposite side from were Sally was standing. "There are also a few things I like to put into place before leaving my TARDIS, I always have things set up, but I don't know. I just feel safer knowing they are in place when I leave." And he began to show her how to activate some of them. "The security provisions and the doors, that's it. Just because I can see that it may be useful for you to know the basics of the TARDIS."


	9. Chapter 9

Sally's mind wandered so much that she found sleep very difficult. She had told herself she would find a way to see if he was real. To see if there was any way what she had gone through was real. Her mind raced with everything she may be able to look for. But right now she needed to sleep. What good would she be if she didn't? Slamming the bed with both her fists, she gave up on that endeavor and sat up.

It would still be a few hours before Gwen was going to be there. She couldn't wait that long. Then a thought hit her. This was perfect. If she went there before anyone else she would be able to look up exactly what she needed without worried about being caught. 

An hour letter she was at one of the computers in there bass. Looking up the ides institute and Dr. Harcourt D'Eath. Hours had gone by and her hope begin to fade. Yes the ides Institute had been there. That was never a question. After all she had worked there, it was a start. But there was no trace of Harcourt D'Eath anywhere. But he had to be real, she remembered so much. She leaned back in the chair. Feeling dejected in her pursuit.

The Master has to be real. As the thoughts passed through her mind she bolted upright. Of course, how could she be so stupid. Harcourt was never a real person, and of course he would wipe all traces of that person from existence. With a new sense of enthusiasm she begin typing away at the keys.

Then her heart sank as she heard voices coming closer. It was Jack and Gwen. Her heart begin to pound. "No, not now, I'm so close." She said under her breath. They were moving fast now. They found out, they knew who she was. There were going to punish her.

"We need to find her now" She could her Jack screaming at Gwen. They would be there any second now. She watched the screen. The word Master in the search bar. Quickly glancing at the door then back to the monitor. They were right outside the door. "Okay, okay," she whispered to herself. History, a list of everything she had looked up pop up on the screen. Clear, all the work she had done vanished, it was all gone. Quickly hitting shut down as he slammed at the power button, lunging herself into the soft nearby. Maybe she could fake sleeping she thought as the two walked into the room not a half second after.

"Oh, there she is" Gwen said with a look of relief on her face as she pointed at Sally as she tried to catch her breath. Gwen crouched down beside her, gently placing her hand on her shoulder. "Sally, wake up."

Sally did her best to not show any signs of being out of breath herself. "Oh, good morning." She did her best to seem as though she just woke up.

Gwen looked relieved to see her. "We were so worried about you when you weren't at the hotel."

She thought quickly "I couldn't sleep so I took a walk. I figured I would just go here and wait for you guys. I guess my excitement faded and I fell asleep." She was pleased that Gwen seemed to believe what she was saying.

Jack on the other hand, he'd stood back watching the two of them. "How did you get in?" He said with his hands folded. "The building is password protected."

If she started lying now he wouldn't trust anything she said. His words flooded her head: "Sometimes the best way to trick someone is to tell the truth."

"I saw Gwen put the code in yesterday when we got here," she said innocently. "I have a mind like a trap." She tapped at the side of her head as she sat up. She sheepishly smiled at him.

"Okay then," he said, unwrapping his hands before clapping them together. "Let's get to work then." His seemed to relax, but she was still not convinced he trusted her. That was okay, she thought. She would just have to be more careful in the future.

Just as he went to walk away another man walked it. He had been muttering something under his breath, almost in his own world. As he looked up to say something to Gwen his eyes caught a glimpse of Sally. He watched her for a moment before turning to Jack. "Is she the one you told me about?"

"Yes," he said quickly, looking back at the them. "Ianto, this is Sally; Sally, Ianto." As he spoke, he notices a concern look on Ianto's face that made him stop. "What?" He asked impatiently.

He shook his head. "Nothing, it's just..." He hesitated, avoiding Jack's gaze. "It just seems so fast to replace both of them."

"Not really," Jack replied quickly, not liking what he was implying.

"So there are more people who work here, not just you two. Sorry, three."

"Yes," Ianto answered. "There is Dr. Scott." He sounded less than impressed with him. Jack gave him a look of disapproval.

"Well, he seems off. I mean, the way he walks around like he always know something no one else does. Like he thinks he's better than everyone else. Besides, he has dark eyes. "

"Dark eyes?" Sally asked, her voice much higher then intended. "What do you mean, dark eyes?"

"I don't know" Not expecting anyone to question him. "There are intense, like he's hiding something or maybe he's evil."

Gwen broke out in laughter "Evil, is he? I can see what you mean by intense, but evil?"

"I said I don't know! It's just a feeling I get from him."

"Intense eyes don't equal evil," Jack interjected with a smile. "Besides, he reminds me of a friend of mine." He paused as if he was thinking about something. "A lot of the things he does reminds me of him." He seemed as if he was lost in the moment finally shaking himself out of it. "Hey, if it wasn't for him we may have not been able to deal with the thing with the kids." Jack said in his defense.

"Yeah yeah, how could I forget. It's not like it was anything we couldn't handle on our own. He barely did anything at all." He did his best not to roll his eyes in annoyance.

"Will he be coming in today?" Sally asked, thinking it would be best to know everyone she was working with. 

"Probably not," Jack answered. "He only comes in when we really need him."

"Yeah, he's too good to be here unless it's something that piques his interest."

Ianto looked as if he wanted to say more but stopped when Jack gave him a look. "I need your help with something," Jack said as he turned away. Ianto followed, leaving the girls alone.

"It really is quite boring when nothing is going on," Gwen told her, taking her over to the computers and turning one on. "I'll show you what to do. For the most part it's just looking at a screen with a bunch of random lines waiting for something to change."

A few hours of this Sally found herself envying this Dr. Scott who only came in when there was something interesting to do.


	10. Chapter 10

The two of them made their way to his TARDIS. Sally was doing her best to keep the Master up after being hit with some kind of poison arrow. His one leg had gone numb as it began to make its way through the rest of his body. "Come on, hurry up," he barked at her.

"I would have already been there if I didn't have to carry your dead weight." She protested through a gasp as she made it over the last hill. The TARDIS was finally in sight.

"Oh, do shut up and just go." He yelled again as they approached, he pulled something out of his pocket to open the doors as they passed the threshold the doors closed behind them. 

Sally began to try different bottoms on the console to make it after dumping the Master on the ground.

"Oh, don't worry about that now. It has a barrier around it. It will take them a few minutes to figure out how to get around it. Help me first." His anger replaced with pain as he pointed to the one side of the room. "Over there, open that panel up. There are several needles in there. Grab the purple one with the silver cap."

Sally ran over to where he was pointing. A moment later she was by his side. "Silver cap, silver, does that look silver to you?"

She looked at, and it did at first. "Yes," She screamed back at him.

"No, look closer," He said, she stared at it a bit harder. "It's not silver, it's pewter"

"Seriously?" She frowned as she rains back to the other end of the room. Coming back with the right syringe this time.

As she plunged the needle into his leg he grabbed her arm. "Oh, maybe I should have told you how to move the TARDIS first. I forgot that particular serum has a highly concentrated amount of melatonin in it and..." Before he could finish his sentence his head fell back on the ground with a thud.

Sally rolled her eyes pulling his arm off of her. "Okay, you got this," She told herself. "You have watched him do this to many times to not know the basics here."

She pulled some levers and pushed some buttons as she heard the sound of the TARDIS taking off. She didn't feel safe landing it on solid ground so she found a random spot in space. After increasing the shields she pulled at the Master's arm. Taking to one of the closer rooms to put him on the bed.

After she got back she opened the doors of the TARDIS, dangling her feet. She sat there for what felt like forever. Only getting up every so often to check of the Master was doing all right. When she first put him in the room there had been a black mark that splintered out from where he was shot. But each time she had gone to check on him it became smaller and smaller until it was non existent.

She was still sitting at the door, crumbling up small balls of colorful paper and tossing them in front of her. They would hit the barrier the tumble down about ten feet under the TARDIS. She became so immersed in what she was doing, she hardly noticed when the Master took a seat next to her.

Startled, she jumped when she finally noticed him there. He had his hands clasped together dangling between his legs. He looked as if he wanted to say something as he glanced at her for a second before looking back out into the void of space. 

"I don't do gratitude, so don't expect any of that from me." He said in a defensive tone, still not looking at her.

"Didn't expect you to," she said with a small grin. 

He leaned forward a little to see a small mound of crimped up bits of paper that was beneath the ship. "I really hope that was nothing I needed."

"Oh no, it was just from some book laying by all the needless. It was just filled with a bunch of circles. Didn't think you needed it."

His eyes grew big as he turned on her. "You did what!?" He barked. "That wasn't just a book of circles, that, that, that was legends and leads and—" His face began to turn red with fury as he became more confused when Sally looked at him, beaming. " This isn't funny! Do you have any idea how much work I put into—"

"I know, I know." now seeming more amused. "Look at the paper." He glanced down then back at her. "Those papers are colorful. The pages in your notebook were white."

A flash of anger crossed his face before smiling at her. "I see." He felt slightly foolish, while also finding the situation quite amusing as he looked down at the noticeable arrangement of color that was scattered under his TARDIS.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it?" She asked him looking out into the never-ending sky. Most of it a dark void. But scattered through were brilliant splashes of greens, blues, reds, and purples mixing in ways she had never seen before.

He gave her a look of bewilderment, "What is beautiful?"

"The sky, the colors, all of it." A serene expression fell over her face as she looked at the universe.

He watched her, trying to understand the look on her face. A burst of hatred ran through his body when he knew why the look on her face seemed so familiar to him. That was the same face he had seen on Theta's face hundreds of times as a child. He pulled her close to him. His arm grasping her shoulder with one hand well pointing out with the other. "You think it's beautiful?" Pointing to the spite of greens "you see that," he said almost angry. "That colored is caused by a gas that, when ingested, will make its way through your air passages, and as it does it rips its way through your body like a million tiny razors. The more it rips through, the farther into your body it spreads, killing you within a second."

She made a small gulp as he spoke, but he wasn't done. His hand shot over to where a cluster of purples and blues mixed together. "That over that, I assume you think that's pretty as well. That, when just touching you will boil the skin in less than a second of contact. And over there, that very lovely red? Well that, my dear, will act as the body's 'off switch' for glands and muscles. With the enzyme blocked, molecules constantly stimulate the muscles. As the muscles spasm, they tire. Death is caused by asphyxiation or heart failure." He looked at her, very pleased as it was clear she was holding back the terror of his words.

At least that was what he thought he saw. She turned to face him, her face less than a foot from his, smiling. Well I guess it's good we are so far away from all of it then, isn't it? She turned back to look out as he pulled away from her. "I guess that's how it is with everything. It all seems so wonderful when you see it from a distance."

"Or when you don't know the truth and you insist on looking at the world as if you were a child." His frustration building up as he spoke.

"I'm more than happy to help you take over the universe, but I guess I'm more content with seeing it." She laughed at herself, not noticing the look that came over his face. He had heard those words before, unable to hold on to his anger as she spoke. "I guess that's a good thing for you. It may not end well if there are two of us wanting everything, right? I'm just as happy to help you and go along for the ride."

"Well, it's a good thing too," he said doing his best now to hold any sign of emotion from his face. "I am a great deal smarter than you. If you were to do something as stupid as betraying me I would know it before you and I would have to kill you," he said as that twisted inhuman smile crawled across his face once more.

"Never," She said as looked at him, now for the first time noticing a sadness in his eyes that hadn't been noticeable before. "Do you have a lot of people travel with you? I mean, you said you were thousands of years old. Don't tell me you're always alone."

He didn't answer right away, his face going back to his blank stare, looking away from her gaze. "There have been a few, but in the end, they end up betraying me. End up siding with him." A slight hint of resentment building up.

"Who? If you don't mind me asking?"

"The Doctor." He took a deep breath in as if he was using that time to think. "But it's for the best; I really don't get along well with others. It's better that way. The fewer people you trust, the less of a chance of someone doing something wrong." The fake smile was back on his face. "So, my dear Dr. Armstrong, that is to say, I don't need you here and if you want to keep going on with this little adventure with me, you are going to have to do everything I tell you." His eyes got wide "or else." the inhumane grin making its way on his face again.

The two of them set there for a long time. As he looked out he began to try to see the sky, letting himself not think about what it all was he began to see that there was some beauty in it all. Time had passed quickly, losing focus on everything around him. That was until he caught her moving from the corner of his eyes. Not a conscious movement, But her body slumping forward, almost falling from the ledge that she was sitting on. 

Without a thought in it, he grabbed at her collar of her shirt before she could fall. She jumped awake. "Oh, sorry, I must have fallen asleep." She said as she rubbed her eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked letting go of her after knowing she was safe.

"Aw, are you concerned for me?" She asked with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. The look he gave her inducted he was not amused. "I don't know exactly. It had been at least twelve hours of watching over you, then we were on that planet for most of the day. So I would say."

"Too long, especially for a human. Go to sleep, Sally." He said in a stern voice.

"Oh? So you really do care?" She said as she began to fall into his shoulder as her eyes fell shut again.

"No, not even close." He said pushing her against the door of the TARDIS as he looked at where the papers were piled up. "It's just you have increased the force field so far that it would be a real pain to retrieve you from all the way down there." He shook the girl awake. "Go to bed."

She nodded before getting up and making her way to her room.


	11. Chapter 11

Sally stared at the secrets becoming more frustrated by the minute. She felt her eyelids become heavy the longer she set there. "God, I'm bored." She grounded, more trying to keep herself awake more than anything.

"Don't say that there will be times that you will welcome days like this." She could hear Gwen from across the room. She had been filling with something that resembled a radio but she was sure it had to have been something far more advanced.

Her curiosity got the best of her after a few minutes as she abandoned her post to see what she was doing. "What's that." She asked as she comes up behind Gwen who didn't seem to be bothered by her.

"Oh, just a think Damien asked us to look at to try and stop the" She stopped what she was doing screwing her face up a little before looking at Sally. "Well you see there had always been what we call a riff in the area, which may explain why you're here. But he seems to be worried that there may be a split in dimensions as well that could not only bring people from different times but alternate realities." She watched Sally expecting that she would have to explain this in greater detail and was supposed to see there wasn't an ounce of confusion on her face.

"I see," She said confidently, "so this will closes this gaps or whatever they are. Do you know what caused them to begin with?" Gwen looked at her for a moment, not wanting to just say she didn't know. "I mean, it would be much easier if you knew the source because of not your just blindly trying to fix a system and there is no saying that it will not just make it worse."

"Yeah, we're working on that." She said with a forced smile. "I think this I what this is supposed to do." She held up the small radio like device.

"Can I see?" Sally asked as she took a seat next to Gwen, without her answering she took the device from her. He eyebrows pinched as she thoroughly examined it. "I don't understand how this would" She began speaking to herself. "If anything it would."

Jack burst into the room. "Who's on the monitors!" He said as the rains to the computer Sally was at a moment before grabbing the screen with a look of discussing on his face.

"I was" Sally began to say, softy. "I just stepped away from second and" She tried to explain herself.

"You had one job." Jack backed before Gwen stood up.

"I asked her to look to something with me. It wasn't her fault."

Jack looked as if he may want to yell some more but calmed himself down. "Ok, we can talk about this latter. There is a weevil sighting downtown. Everyone let's go!" This seemed to be big deal because a few minutes letter they were piled up in the van.

\----------------

As they sped away, Ianto was on his laptop directing Jack where to go.

"Should we call Damien for this," Gwen asked from the back.

"No, he has more important things to do right now." He said before hitting a corner really strong throwing Sally into Gwen's lap.

"Of course not," Ianto said under his breath.

As they went on Jack explained what he wanted to be done. They would realize and take it back to the hub. This was not what happened. After finally finding it they found themselves chasing it. The group split up to cover more ground.

A few blocks Sally found it and herself in an alleyway. As Sally took a shot but missed. The weevil at an opportunity to hit the gun out of her hands and she watched it fly behind a dumpster. Flinging herself to the ground she quickly grasped it. She could hear it heading for her, taking the opportunity to her advance she waited until she heard it right above her as she turned to her back taking a perfect shot at its chest. As she did another shot hit it on the shoulder as Jack rounded the counter.

"Are you alright he asked, not taking his gun off the fallen weevil.

" Yeah, I'm good," She said as she dusted herself up. 

Gwen and Ianto followed behind with the van, as they beginning to load it up.

\----------------------

When they made it had because obvious that Sally had gotten hurt with there little excursion. A small bump on her head began to bleed.

"I'll take care of it," Ianto said so Gwen and Jack could deal with the weevil. 

"So, you don't seem to really care for this Damien guy do you?" Sally asked as Ianto cleaned the cut on the side of her head.

"It's not that" He began. Not knowing exactly how he felt about the situation himself. "It's just, it feels like he's hiding something. Yeah, he's helped up with this aliens and had helped with many other things. But some reason it feels like it's building up to something. Like he's doing this thing just to get us to trust him. I don't think he really cares much about anything but himself to be honest."

"Oh, I thought he may have had the hots for your boyfriend." She smiled as she said this.

Ianto face turned a bright red as he turned away from her, perfect timing to need to grab a bandage he thought.

"Is that really necessary?" Sally said looking at the large slice of gore in his hands.

"Probably," He said ignoring her protest and placing it on the side of her head.

She began to rub at her head. "Aw, I think I'm getting a headache. "

"Well, you did hit your head really hard." He said handing her to small pills. "This should help." He said with a small smile.


	12. Chapter 12

Sally stood over the Master. He had connected his TARDIS to a large computer that was as large as the wall. Sally couldn't even begin to guess where they were, let always when. He fiddled with the wiring contacting it to a small metal box he had in his hands. He gazes intensely as he carefully tinkered with it before starting up at her. 

"You know, when I said I wanted you to stand guard I mention at the door, not at me." He watched her, as she huffed, walked to the door.

"Fin," She said pressing her back again the wall, looking out a small window to make sure no one was coming. "It really boring over her." She said in exasperation.

"We are not hearing to have fun. I'm hearing on business." He said, too engrossed in what he was doing to pay much attention to her. Nore did he have the time to scold her. she was once again behind him trying to watch what he was doing.

This had gone on for a few minutes when both of them heard footsteps coming down the corridor. Sally jumped from her trance quickly making her way to the door to confirm there was someone walking down. "He is still a ways away. I think it will take them another six, seven minutes till they make it down here. 

Without saying anything he began to work even harder. " Ok, he is getting really close now." She said, panic coming over her five minutes later. She could feel her hands getting clammy as she could see him getting approaching. Her heart pounding in her chest. Wanted to call out again but now was scared the man may have been to close and would hear her. Another minute passed, and now she feared if he were to look directly at the door there would be no doubt he would see her. "Harcourt" She hissed under breath. Trying to get his attention. The man had been right on top of the door now. Not know what to do she tried to duck. 

Before she could sink down she felt her hand being pulled. There was still wires scattered around the room, but nothing was attached to the TARDIS anymore. As they disappeared in an Identical computer across from the one he was using a light signed in. The man must have noticed this because out of all the doors he sighed his light into this had been the first he opened. As he finally made it in after trying a few keys, finally opening the door. He looked around to find no one, but a distracting computer.

_________________

He was now at the center concept with the small metal box. Connecting it with some wires. Not paying any mind to Sally. He eyes the box with great consideration for a long time.

She finally spoke up " Did you get what you needed? asking, not sure if he would hold it against her if he hadn't accomplished what he set out to do.

Finally acknowledging she was in the room for the first time since they got in. "Oh, this, yes. Got everything I needed at the very last second. Good thing for that guard too. He may have gotten quite a shock if he found us in there." He said as a mischievous smirk crawled on his face. Slowly fading when Sally didn't respond to this he went back to what he was doing. "Anyway, I believe we only have one more stop after this." He said as he began to flip a few things on the council as the TARDIS started to take off.

"So where are we going now?" She asked now feeling safe to stand closer to him.

"A small plant at the edge of the Galaxy." He said, now holding the metal box. "They are a peaceful lot, will do almost anything to avoid a fight. They have a stone I need to get this to work."

"That's good, so they may just give it to us?" She asked, standing closer to see what he was doing.

He turned and laughter at her. "I doubt it. They may not fully grasp what they have, but there do regard it quite highly. They believe it's a means of speaking to there gods. It's going to take a lot of work to get our hands on it."

She folded her arms. "So what? Are we just go in and kill everyone?"

As she said this he quickly turned her way. "What? No. What are you mad?"

"Well you just said they were peaceful, so they probably will not have a good defense." As she spoke his face when from anger to entertained.

"Yes, it's true they have nothing as far as defenses. But that doesn't mean they are not protected. The time Lords a long time ago determine that what they had is very important. And with the people miss using the stone was thought it would be better to just observer than to interfere. If we go in guns a blessing we will have the CIA on our tails in a heartbeat. No, we must do this one stealthy. Let our selves become immersed in their culture and win their trust. Then when they are not looking, take the stone and be on our way." He opened up a small metal box to reveal a small place where the stone could sit.

"What does this do." She asked as she examined it. 

The Master flip a small button as the music started to come from it. 

Giving him a look as he smiled at her. " I mean when you get your rock."

"Oh, you're going to love it." He had his in the most clever thing to walk to universe smell on. The same one he normally had on before be would go on about something. "This little thing here will make it so we can travel through different dimensions."

Sally stood there, expecting more "that's it then?" She couldn't understand why he was making g a fusion over sumthing that small.

"That it?!" He frustration slightly peeking. "That's it? Do you have any idea how hard it is to do that?"

"I'm taking slightly." Trying to joke with him to calm him down.

"Yes, it's banned, only a few time Lords think they have the right to do this. And most of the technology has been banned or distorted." He's gaze wounded from her as if he was remembering, shaping back he begins to walk away before throwing his hands, turning around to point as Sally. "You know how hard it was to find out the existence of this stone let alone where to find it."

Seeing her mistake in putting a slight dent on his fragile ego she apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was such a big deal. But now that you put it into perspective, yes your right. You would have had to put a lot of thought and work into this."

"Well yes, I am a genius. " He said in a smug tone that Sally couldn't help herself but find amusing.

"Yes, the smartest man in all the universe, all of us are dull-witted in comparison."

He went back to examining the box after turning the music off. It took him a minute to recognize the sarcasm in her town. Looking up a little upset. "Don't patronize me"

"Oh, no, I would never." She said trying to hide a wide grin. He glared at her. "Oh, come on. You need to lighten up. Of course, I know your smart, I just didn't know that what you were doing was a big deal. It really is quite impressive once you explain it."

"Well, I can't expect a human to understand all this." He beginning to wonder as he started to talk to himself under his breath. "If he was around. Yes, I could." Then he stopped. A hint of worry crossed his eyes. "No, not this time, it didn't work out good for me last time. I'll have to hide what I'm doing even from him. For now anyway."

"Who?" Sally asked to become more interested. 

"The Doctor. A fellow Tim Lord. I wouldn't have had to explain any of that to him." He waved his hand at her " But it's not important, I've decided he's not getting involved this time."

"But if he could help, maybe we should." She asked, thinking about the presence of this Doctor may help him.

He gave her the same laugh as earlier. "Help me, oh heavens no. He would do everything thing he could to stop me."

"But if it's for the greater good. Surely he would want to help." She tried reasoning with him. 

"No, you don't seem to understand, we have a bit of a rivalry. He is the only one I know that could come anywhere close to my intelligence but if I had a plane for universe peace. He would find a way to make me look like that bad guy to justify stopping me. You see the poor man has a fragility ego and doesn't like the idea of someone being smarter than him."

"Ah, I see," Sally said. "So your enemies?"

"I prefer the term best frenemies," He said missing the sarcasm in her voice.

She thought for a minute but didn't say anything. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. What if that was the only person he was able to be friends with and all they wanted to do was make him look like a full. At that moment she felt more important than ever before. He needed her, he needed a real friend who would treat him right.

"All right" She spoke up

"A beg your pardon?" Being a few minutes since they spoke didn't know what she was going on about.

"Let's go get your stupid rock" He gave her a look before noticing her smile. She seemed to be beaming for some reason. "What do I need to know about this person to fit in better. Best you tell me a little so I can put on a good performance."


	13. Chapter 13

Sally closed her eyes hoping her headache would go away when Jack walked into the room. "we need to talk" he said in a sharp tone that causes her to jump.

she went into his office, wondering what she had done wrong. After all, they got the weevil, didn't they. Maybe he would tell her she wasn't good enough to work for them. Her stomach sank, she needed this job. This would be the best way to find him. If she could handle traveling with him she can deal with whatever problems they got up to. 

Jack waited for her to enter the room, closing the door behind him. He stood in front of it with his arms folded. "OK, you need to start talking now," he said in a stern tone. As she stumbled with her words, not knowing what he was asking. what could he have wanted? A thought crossed her mind, maybe she was wrong. Maybe this had nothing to do with the weevil today. Maybe he knew why she was here. Did she clear her history after looking up the Master? oh, no. she thought, she cleared all the history, if they wanted to look something up from the day before it would have been gone. her heart began to race. 

"Who are you Sally Armstrong," Jack asked coldly. His eyes fixed on her hardly blinking, making her uneasy. "I went out of my way to keep that weevil from crossing paths with you when we were out there. Not only that it disarmed you and knocked you down and yet you were still able to regain control and shoot it before it could do any more damage to you."

Not knowing what to say she set starring at her own hands. Trying to think no further a good reason. But she couldn't think of anything.

Jack becoming more inpatient yelled at her "Sally! I asked you a question. I don't think that kind of instinct comes from working in a dentist office."

"I don't know," She said, feeling herself becoming more emotional as she thought about the question.

"What do you mean you don't know?" His words were harsh and angry.

"I mean I don't know" She scouted with tears forming in her eyes now. As she wiped away her own tears she tried to calm herself. "I don't even know who I am anymore. I keep dying or remembering or dreaming or I just, I'm there, perfectly safe, normal Sally until I'm not and I don't understand any of it." She clasped her face into her hands. Not being able to stop her own sobs. "I don't know who I am or what's really so I can't tell you." She said slightly above a whisper as she felt jack place a hand on her shoulder.

"Then tell me what you do know," He asked, crouching down next to her son he was at eye level with her. 

"There were aliens, metal box things, I think they were called Daleks, an impossible box that was bigger on the inside with a pilot that was even more impossible. And. And I can't really remember much other than that." She looked at Jack expecting to see him looking at her like she was crazy but instead he was grinning at her.

"So you know the Doctor too?" He no longer looked angry as he spoke.

"The Doctor?" She thought for a minute. "Yes, I know that name, he was." Was the enemy of the Master. As she began to feel herself calm down she thought it best if she didn't bring that bit up. Feeling as if he had taken the Doctors side, may not be happy finding out she had worked with an enemy of his. "I thought I was crazy," she said at last "I didn't think you would believe me, I" 

Jack put his hand on her shoulder and an empathetic look on his face. "I get it if I hadn't experienced traveling with the Doctor myself I probably would think you were crazy. You barely know us, so it makes sense that you wouldn't trust us enough to tell us. but in this job you can never be too careful." she went to apologize to her but he cut her off. "I don't know if we will be able to figure out whats going on, and it's not like the Doctor is known to come around that often, but if he does I feel like you being here will be the best place for you." He sighed as he stood up and started for the door before turning around. "but Sally, from now on you need to be one hundred percent honest with us, otherwise, we are not going to be able to help you."


	14. Chapter 14

The Master opened to doors of his TARDIS as they step out, the air was dry and had a hint of salt in the air as he closed the doors behind them. She looked back to see nothing but some rocks. "nice one" she said, starting to follow him." But aren't you worried you are going to forget where it is? I mean, it looks just like the rocks around it."

He turned back for a split second then continued up the dry, rocky slope. "Don't worry your pretty little head about that. My mind is like a steel trap, nothing gets out. I will remember where I left her."

She stopped for a seconded wondering if she had heard him right when he referred to the TARDIS as her again. Deciding it would be best not to call attention to this she simply smiled and followed him.

"Come on, we don't have all day" he called back, now starting to sound like he was out of breath. They finally made it up the hill a few minutes later to more of the same desert-like the ground. "It should be around here somewhere" he began to walk straight ahead.

"what?" Sally asked trying to keep up with his pace that seemed to have gotten a bit faster now that the ground was level. "what are we even looking for?" He was now ignoring her, looking around on the ground as if he had lost the keys when he made a sudden stop causing her to run right into him. He turned back to give her a look before crouching down to pick a rock up, then throwing it in front of himself. It only made it about a foot and half before stopping mid-air and crumbling to the ground.

"There," He said as if he archived something. "That should get their attention." A look of concern crossed his face, placing on hand up to his mouth as he began to say something he couldn't quite make out. "Right" he finally said. "Quick backstory" He began quickly "your my wife and we were are on vacation. We were meant to be transported to KS-159 but ended up here instead."

"Wait, what?" She said in shock, wishing he would have brought all this up when they were still in the TARDIS.

He turned quickly on her. "Did you get all that?" A sense of urgency in his voice.

As he spoke the barren land in front of them vanished as a large metal castle appeared before them as a few men about thirty feet in front dressing in Golden armed made their way out the front doors.

"Did you get that" his hissed at her, not taking his eyes off her.

Flustered she quickly recalled what was said. "Um, yes. Married, vacation, KS-159, lost. Got it." She said quickly and quietly so the approaching men couldn't hear.

Happy with her answer the Master turned back around at them with a confused look on his face. As the man approached he looked timidity at them, almost as if he was scared as they approached.

"I'm sorry" He began to stammer in his own words. "Is this the collection? I'm worried that we may have been teleport to the wrong planet by mistake."

"The collection?" The first of the three men asked.

In the same snarky tone, he continued. "Yes, we came here to see the art. Is this not the right place?" He looked back at Sally. Panic drew all across his face. "Oh dear me. I told you dear, I told you that kid didn't know what he was doing." He turned back to the guards. "You see this kid wouldn't stop fussing with his communicator, I think he was chatting up some girl and" He stopped when the guard looked as if he was becoming very irritable about all of it. Collecting his thought he began again. "Well, I can clearly see we are in the wrong place. Is there any way we can get back to where we came from. Preferably teleported, we really did have our an eye on seeing the collection on is time off work. We very rarely have free time."

The first man put his hand out to stop him speaking. "I don't know how there could have been a mix-up. This world is protected by" He was interrupted by then behind him as he leaned in and whispered something into his ear. Turning toured him and nodding before turning back to the two of them. "We do have the technology for transporting you. Unfortunately, because of an oncoming event, they will not be operational for another week."

"Oh no" The Master began, as he began to draw in panic giving her a look that she should do the same.

Alarmed for a second then tried to follow his lead. "We're going to miss it" She began. "What are we going to do for a week." A thought struck her as she went from frightened to angry. "And just where are we meant to stay. I'm sure as hell not going to sleep in the wilderness, you can't do this to me."

He gave her a quick approving smile before putting his panicked face back on before turning around. "Are you sure there is no way off this planet for another week?" He gave a quick glance at Sally before leaning in close to the men. "I love my wife, and the great and all." Moving in a little closer and lowering his voice even more. "But you see how she is if I don't make her comfortable who knows what she may do. Please, is there nothing you can do to help me out."

"Very well," The first man said eye the two of them. "We will talk to our people and see if we can come up with some kind of arrangement for you two. Unfortunately, no matter what the decision is, you will be stuck here for the next week." They swiftly turned around and was back behind the walls of the castle once again.

*********

A few hours letter they were in a small room with a bed that had gold sheets that matched the heavy currents that lined the one side of the wall. There were two small tables on each end of the bed and a lounge chair in one corner that the Master resting in.

"So, what's the plan, we get the jewel and get out of here?" Sally asked looking around the room, ready to get started with there plans.

He gave her a look before closing his eyes, resting his head on his hand. "Were you not listening to anything that was said. No one can come or leave for another week. There is a solar flare that makes it near impossible for anyone to get anywhere near the planet, which means the Time Lords can't do anything, But it also means if we move to fast we will be stuck here with nowhere to go. No, it's best we wait till the last minute and get out of here as soon as we can."

Sally looked at the bed then at him, then around the room that now seemed even smaller then it did before. "And what do we do in the meantime?"

"Relax," He said taking a deep breath. "Pretend to be lost tourist and try to enjoy ourselves."

"And what, are we going to share the bed?" She looked around at the bed then at him.

His eyes were still closed, looking more like his confident self "only if you don't want to sleep on the floor."

She looked at him for a minute before asking. "Why exactly did you tell them I was your wife?"

Without opening his eyes and began to speak "simple, they are a very conservative bunch. Women and men are not allowed be-be one with one another for any amount of time. I figured it would just be easier that way." He gave her a look. "That's not going to be a problem is it." She quickly shook her head. " We can start looking around tomorrow to see the best way to obtain the rock. It would probably also help if we play nice. Get on their good side. The more they trust us, the easier it will be to move around and the easier it will be when the time comes to get what we need."

"What do I need to know to not offend anyone?" She asked, wishing he would just give her this information. It's not like she had been around as long as him and couldn't just know these things.

"Well as you see with there forcefield and the invisibility around their cities they have trust issues. Just don't ask anything too personal. With there very little exposure to the outside world, they will become very trusting once they get used to you."

"So this gem, rock thing we are after. Why will they not just hand it over to use?"

"Because this rock thing," He said sarcastically "is a holy relic to them. It also keeps everything running properly around here, from their technology to their water and air." As he said this Sally's eyes grew wide and horror "I would say after a week they will see us as one of them. Then we can commence with our plans."

"You mean when we betray them," Sally asked, already feeling bad about what they were planning.

The Master looked at her slightly angry. "No"

"But you said it yourself, taking this stone will turn their entire culture upside down." The concern in her voice just made him angrier.

"This will help them just as much as everyone else. This could end the time war. Don't you understand? Whatever effects it has on them will be temporary, I can't see it lasting more than one or two hundred years. And even if they never recover. What's one planet to all of time and space." He shot up out of the chair before realizing he had nowhere to go so he made his way to the bed. Leaning his back against the headboard and closing his eyes.

Sally let her head drop down, feeling stupid for not thinking of the big picture, for upsetting him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"No, of course, you weren't. You sound just like him." The anger in his face was slowly going away as he fell asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Sally woke in her hotel a week later with an awful headache. She noticed they had been coming on and off again ever since the first weevil attack. Since then they had seen all kinds of strange things, but nothing that she couldn't handle or even close to what she had to deal with when traveling with the Master.

She checked her phone to see what time it was. It was still the old clunky one Gwen had given her the first day she was there. She had thought about getting a better one, but just didn't have the time. She dropped her hand letting it fall hard on the bed. Only a few more minutes before she had to be up. It wouldn't have been so bad if only she could get rid of this headache she thought. 

When she made it into work, Ianto was already there and had made tea for everyone. "I swear you live here," Sally said with a smile s she made it to her desk. "Do you even go home?"

"Yes, I just" He stumbled on his words before collecting himself, handing Sally a cup. "How has your head been? Still getting them headaches?" She nodded, not really wanting to talk about it. This, however, couldn't be avoided as it seemed like everyone had recently become very invested in her health.

A moment later Jack came out of his office fixing his shirt, looking slightly started to see Sally. "Oh, Sally, your head. How's the head?" He asked as he took a cup of tea before going to his desk.

"Not so great, but I'll be fine," She said with a sigh. "I'm sure it will get better throughout the day." Trying to convince herself more than him. 

Soon after Gwen got in asking her the same question. Sally gave her the same answer but at this point, it had gotten worse and she feared it wouldn't be getting better any time soon. After a few hours, Jack jumped up. "Ok, Erith isn't in danger at the moment. How about we go out for lunch?"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," Gwen said already grabbing for her bag. 

"Where were you thinking?" Ianto asked, standing up, looking for NY excuse to leave his desk.

"You know what, I'll just stay here, I'm still not feeling that great," Sally said hoping she may be able to close her eyes for a little bit well they were all gone.

"No" She heard Jack say as he walked up behind her pulling her up. "You need a break, I think it will be good for you." He let her go after getting her to her feet.

"Oh, come one, it'll be fun. Please come with us." Gwen had a face on that made it hard for her to say no to.

She collected herself as Jack let her go, then gave Jack a look. "And how is much going to help?"

With a big grin "I invited a friend. If anyone could help you with these headaches it will be him."

Ianto suddenly looked disappointed putting his jacket back on the chair. "Maybe I'll sit this one out he said, about to sit back down.

" Nonsense," Jack said giving him a stern look, with a grin that didn't match. "Don't make me come over there and pick you up too."

With a mix of annoyance and amusement, he stood back up. "You still didn't say where we were going.

\---------------

A few minutes later they were at a small restaurant with outdoor seating. " Well, at least we have a nice view," Ianto said still looking around. It had been a small courtyard with a stone wall around 3 of the walls around them. A few climbing flowers and ivy covering most of them up.

"He's not that bad," Jack said, looking around to see if he could spot when he got there.

"He's scary" He replied, still looking around as if he was trying not to think about it.

Sally who was sitting next to Gwen leaned in so only she would hear her. "He isn't that bad, is he? I mean if he's supposed to be helping me and." She glanced over at Ianto then back to Gwen. "There has to be a reason he doesn't trust him."

gwen gave her a dismissive look. "Oh, he's fine. A little" She paused thinking about how she would word it. Just before she could answer they both hear a voice from behind them that made them jump.

"Oh, whispering. I Sure hope you're not talking about me."

Sally froze, she had known that voice. Gwen looked up with a wide grin on her face. "Only good things."

"Oh, good" The man grabs a chair, pulling it over to the table. 

"We didn't know if you were going to make it. If you didn't show we were going to order without you." Jack said moving his char over for him to move in. "Oh, this is Sally" He put his arm out to introduce her. "The one I was telling you about, I really hope it's nothing. But I'm starting to worry about her."

Sally stood there to stand in what she was seeing. The man wears a dark gray suit, a dark blue tie. As she looked up to see a face she recognized very well. She would imagine the first thing most people would notice was his bald head, but his grin was the first thing that caught her eye. 

He put his hand out to shake hers. "Sally is it? Nice to meet you, I'm Damian." It took her a moment to register his hand in front of her, his wide smile turning into a frown as he looked at her.

"Sorry" She apologized as soon as she noticed this extending her hand out quick. "I've been having this headache and."

"So I hear" He set down "Jack seems to be under the impression I can help you with that some home." He seemed less enthusiastic about this. As he turned to talk to Jack about something.

Sally found it hard to pay attention to what they were saying and found herself focusing on his face. Trying to find anything out of place anything that would tell her he wasn't the person she thought he was. But she couldn't see anything, everything about him was perfect.

She had because lost to everything else until she noticed he was staring back at her. "I'm sorry," She said quickly, shaking her head. " I didn't mean to stare I just"

"A headache?"

She was relieved to hear some trace of sympathy in his voice. She nodded her head. "That and the memories or dreams or whatever they are about dying."

He pulled himself forward in his seat. Leaning slightly closer to Sally with heightened interest all of a sudden. "Sorry, what do you mean you have members of dying? Like reincarnation?" She shook her head as he turned to face Jack. "Why didn't you tell me about that before? That changes everything."

"I thought it would be best for you to hear it in her own words." He went to say something else before Damien put his actions back on Sally. 

"Would you mind if I did some test, noting to invasive. Just a few things to see what can be causing this unpleasantness with you. We can talk more about this latter when." He stopped speaking when he noticed her staring at him in the most peculiar way. He went to open his mouth to say something but didn't get a chance to.

"Do you know me?" She blurted out without much thought.

He looked at her as if he was a thing about it before he smiled at her. "No, afraid not."

"Are you sure, it's just."

He began to chuckle at this. "Yes, I have a mind like a steel trap. Besides, If we had met before I don't think I would be able to forget a face like that."

She found herself smiling at this. "I'm sorry, you, you just looked very familiar is all."

"I guess I just have one of the faces" Just as he said he is the waitress came over to take his order.

"We already ordered. We didn't know if you were going to be able to make it." Jack said well also giving Ianto a look not to say anything.

Damien turned slightly to look up at the waitress. "In that case, I'll make this incredibly easy on you. I'll just take a coffee right now. Or, you know on the other hand maybe a scone or two" She jotted something down, made a small sigh as she rolled her eyes as she walked away. He turned back to Jack, "was incredibly rude or was it just me?"

"It's probably just you" Ianto murmured under his breath, but not as quiet as he would have liked as Jack him-hook before addressing Damien.

"She was kinda like that with all of us. Don't worry about it."

The rest of the meal Damien spoke primarily to Jack and axonal to Gwen and Sally. And only once to Ianto. Sally tried to understand why he had been ignoring her. He had to have been him, this she was one hundred percent sure of. Then it hit her, time travel. That had to have been it, he just didn't meet her yet. This thought comforted her a little, but her headache seemed to have been getting worse.

As they were getting up to go Damien caught Jack's attention. "Will you be in need of Dr. Armstrong the rest of the day?" He paused as if he was going to let Jack speak but as soon as he opened his mouth he cut in. "You see after meeting her my Curiosity has peaked and it would very much like to get some test done if it will not cause you to much hassle."

"No, I don't mind at all, but you may want to ask her, not me." He gave Sally a look that it was alright to say no as it was clear she was doing worse than when they got there.

Damien turned to face her. "Well? What do you say, Dr. Armstrong? I may even be able to find a way to relieve some of that tension in your head today."

Sally's eyes lit up as he said this. "I'm, yes, absolutely. As long as I'm free from work. Um, yes." She wanted to kick herself. Why was she stumbling over her words like this?

"Right, then shall we go." He ground as he led her out. 

Ianto looked at Jack as the two of them left. "Do you really trust him with her?"

Jack gave him a bewildered look. "Why do you have such a problem with him?"

Ianto, looking slightly guilty just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know," He said with a heavy sigh. "It's like I know I can't trust him for a reason, I just don't remember what that reason is."

Gwen put her arm around his shoulder giving him her widest grin. "Don't worry Ianto Damien isn't going to still Jack from you." She said playfully. 

"I didn't think he" But he stopped what he was saying. He couldn't explain that feeling he had, it wasn't jealous. At least that's what he told himself.


	16. Chapter 16

They had been on the Planet for a few days now. It had been a lot easier for them to get closer to the indigenous species than they originally thought. It had been true that they were not in the habit of mingling with others, but once you got to talking to them. Showing them they had more in common than not. It had been no trouble at all in gaining their trust.

During the day there had been a group of girls who would drag her along with there every day rotten. It was a relaxing lifestyle they had. Everything had been automated so most people only had to do the actual work for an hour actual day.

The girls that seemed to have made Sally their new pet. All of them had short blonde curly hair, longest just reaching under there neck. Because of this, they would spend hours just touching and brushing Sally's long straight hair. There favorite spot to gather was near a fountain in a golden courtyard.

The one girl names Aegrei had seems the most interested in her. On day well brushing Sally's hair she had gotten really quiet. It wasn't long before recognizing this taking the girl was none stop talking most of the time.

"Are you alright Aegrei" She turned to her, the girl looking down to the ground, he faces a slight shade of pink faces.

"I was just wondering," She asked in such a small, voice it was hard for Sally to hear at first. She then began to mumble under her breath.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Sally strained to hear what she was saying.

"What's it like to be with a man?" She said all at once, and loader then she intended as her face turned a bright red now.

Sally's face somehow turned a brighter shade of red then the girls. "I, um. I don't know if I should talk about that." She knew she had been playing wife but to think about him in that way felt wrong. After all, he was an alien, would that even work with them two? "I don't feel comfortable talking about sex, please don't take it the wrong way. But"

"No, that's not" the girl quickly looked around to make sure no one was listening in. " I just mean speaking to a man" her voice got quiet again as she leaned in so Sally could hear her but no one else could.

Sally took aback looked at the girl for a few moments. "Are you not allowed to? Not even just talking to?"

The girl shook her head vigorously at her. "No, never. It can taint your mind if you do."

Sally didn't understand it, but she also knew that she was spiffily told not to question anything they do, otherwise they may no longer trust her.

The girl glanced around them once more before asking again. "So" she watched Sally like a hawk. "What is it likes?"

Sally thought for a moment, really thinking about what she was being asked. She didn't know how to answer the question. She had spoken to men all the time, there was no tabo like this on Earth before realizing he had been the only time lord she had ever spoken to. And truth be told he was a lot different than anyone she had meant. There was something very inhuman about him without even speaking. Like the energy that came from him was like nothing she had ever felt before. It was amazing or terrifying at the same time.

"Well," she began. "I can't speak for them all but for him, it's nice. He's so smart and it makes me want to try my best at everything I do. He makes me not want to just seidel for ok, or even good. I want to do so much more. He makes it so I feel like I can do anything, and I'm willing to risk anything to do so " The overwhelming amount of things they still needed to do weighed on Sally for a moment. Wondering if she would be able to accompany him till the very end. "He's like no one I ever met before. And his work is so important, I'm just happy I can be a part of it, that and he needs me. Before he met me he was traveling all alone."

"Is that why you are on vacation?" The girl watched as Sally looked out into space. "You two needs a break from all the work?"

Sally snapped back to what they were doing there. "Oh, um, yes," she said with an uncomfortable smile on her face. "So what would happen if a boy came here right now and asked you a question?" Now mildly interested in this idea.

"What would he have to ask of me?" The girl not even to being to contemplate this simple question.

"I don't know, anything. Like what do you think of the weather?"

The girl looked up at the sky then back to Sally. "But the weather is always the same, why would he ask that of me?"

Sally sighed. "Never mind"

"Besides, no man or boy is prohibited in this area. If one would come here it would be I who asked the questions."

"There are places only men and women are allowed?" She asked finding this very odd.

"Yes, and then there is a place where neither of us is allowed." The girl answered in the same straight ton she had been speaking in for some time now.

Sally looked up at her. " what would the point of that be?"

"To keep it clean," the girl said with a grin. "Your land must be so strange if you cant understands something like that.

" I see?" She began to think. "Where are these places, so I don't accidentally wound into them."

\------------

That afternoon when she made it back to her room, the Master had already been there. Hunched over some papers on the ground. Sally stood over to see it had been a few blueprints along with papers with things she couldn't read on it.

"What do you want, Sally?" Asking without looking up."

"Nothing," she said, her hands behind her back looking down still scanning the papers. "I'm guessing you still have no idea where they are hiding the gem at? We only have three more days to" before she could finish her sentence he leaped up.

He stood facing her, looking down at her making her feel very small. "Do you think I don't know that?"

She shook her head. "I know, its just."

"If I wanted you to state the obverse I would have asked you to. I can literally get anyone to do that. So unless you want to make yourself replaceable I would suggest you keep your pointless prattling to yourself. Do you understand?"

sally felt herself looking down to the ground. "I'm sorry master," she said slowly.

The Master grab a few papers from the ground that looked before making his way to the bed. Resting his back on the headboard as he laid the papers on his lap.

Sally shook her head before looking back at the Master. "Did you make any progress on where it is?" She asked before sitting next thin him.

He looked up at her for a moment before going back to the papers. "No," he said coldly.

"You know I find it odd." She began talking absentmindedly. "No one here is allowed to even speak to the opposed sex. Aegrei was asking me questions early. I thought she wanted to know about sex, but she just wanted to know what it was like to talk to men."

He seemed to have very little interest in what she was saying. He made a few nodded but it didn't seem like he was actually paying attention to what she was saying.

As she watched him different parts of her conversion with the girl went through her mind. Before she knew it, her mind when somewhere she never thought it would go. Realizing what she was thinking she turned from him. Embarrassed by her own thoughts.

A moment later she looked over when she noticed him staring at her. His eyes squinting, with his mouth slightly open. "What was that?" He said, not taking his eyes off of Sally. She felt her face turning red as she began to fumble on her own words. Had he read her mind. She then recalled him saying something about timelords having a level of physic abilities. "I didn't mean it, I don't even know why I."

He tilted his head, a confused look came over his face." what? I have no idea what you're going on about. I mean about the people here not being able to speak or interact with the other sex?"

"Oh?" Sally said with a great bit of relief in her voice as she slouched a little. He hadn't known what she was thinking. "Um, uh, yes. The girl told me they are not allowed to be any less the 20 feet from any man." Now it was Sally who looked confused as she looked around there tiny room. "Wait, then how are we allowed to be so close?"

The Master now had on one of his I'm so clever look at me expressions on his face. He threw the papers over on Sally as he jumped up, grabbing for his tce he began scanning the room. As he looked back at it then to where Sally was still sitting on the bed. "Oh, I see!" Now seeming very pleased with himself.

"I don't," she said, getting up to get a better look at the walls.

"What are you doing?" He said with a frown on his face. She glanced back at him trying you think of how she could answer that question. He began pointing to all the walls. "The walls in here are lined with led." As he said this he was grinning from ear to ear as if that told Sally anything.

"Oh come on Sally, do keep up. The reason we are allowed in her together is that of the walls. It's the same reason we are not allowed near one another out there and why no man or women are allowed to speak to one another." He gave her another look that told her he had realized something that she was still missing.

His smile faded as she kept looking at him with the same dazed look. "Don't you know the basics of the human body? Anything about the x and y chromosomes?"

"Of cures I do" she finally said in defense of herself. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," he said in excitement. "Let me put it another way" he folded his arms, tilting his head slightly as he tried to think of how he would phrase his thoughts. " oh, I got it," he said at least, hitting his fist into his other hand." It's like magnets. The men and women here. They are also a key. As long as they are not close to one another where the gem is safe. So all we have to do is find the place where men and women are not allowed near one another, and voila, we find it. That simple."

"Oh! I think I know where it is." She said as she began to smile, finally starting to understand what he was saying. "So you're saying somehow the two energies are the key to opening this door that is hiding the gem behind it."

He looked at her with anticipation to the location of the door. "Well," he said when she didn't answer right away.

"Oh, yeah, the girl told me there was a place where neither man or women could pass. That has to be it." Before she could say anything else he grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the room. "Show me exactly where it was."

"But Master" she began.

"Sally!" He became very stern with her.

"but I thought"

Before she could finish he cut her off. "I don't need you to think Sally, I need you to tell me which way to go."

She pointed to the right as he pulled her along. "But I thought that we were going to."

But once again before she could finish what she was saying he began to speak over her. "It should be as easy as us holding hands for this to work. O, everything is going ahead of scale. This is all too easy." He went on with glee.

"That's my point, where we no going to." She fell into him slightly as he stopped at a crossroad.

He gave her a look as she backed up a step. "Ok then."

She sighed thinking he finally realized it would be too soon to take the gem.

"Which way now?" She watched home for a moment. "Sally! Now, we are not suspect to be out this time at night let alone with each other. Witch way!"

With one last sigh of defeat, she pointed in the direction they needed to go until they made it past the courtyard she had been in earlier that day. Down some more corridors before making it to an octagon room that was covered from floor to cooking with gold plates. As the two of them entered the room as it began to vibrate. Increasing the farther they got on. She also noticed that it was becoming increasingly harder to move forward, and harder to keep a hold of the Master's hand. 

"Halt!" A voice said from behind them. The words I told you so from the tip of her tongue. As she looked over to the Master who to her surprise was smiling. "Put your hands up and turn around nice and slowly."


	17. Chapter 17

Sally followed Dr. Scott to what he referred to as his lab. But ended up just being a small apartment, consisting of only two rooms. There were a couch, some cabinets with doors on them and a table. The rest consisted of papers, wires, and test tubes flung around the room.

He quickly looked back at her after opening the door. "Sorry about the mess" he quietly laughed as he kicked a few things over as he entered the room. Looking back once more " I don't normally get company." He quickly threw something off the couch to let her sit down.

She looked around the room not wanting to look like she was judging but then a thought crossed her mind. Where did he sleep? Without realizing it she began to look around the room for a place that wasn't covered.

"I really do apologize for the mess," he said again as he set on the table in front of her. "I normally wouldn't let my workplace get this out of hand but I have been very busy trying to deal with a slight problem I" he paused as if he was remembering something that bothered him greatly. "I recently ran into." He put his hands up, giving her a look, asking if it would be alright to touch her. As she nodded he placed his hand gently around her throat. "So when exactly did this headaches start?

As she began to speak as he pulled her mouth open to look at the back of her throat, she began to make an almost chucking sound as she tried to speak. " oh, sorry. I probably should have let you answer that before I did that." Half laughing as he spoke. She found it hard to be angry with him as he smiled at her.

"Probably, yes," she said as he finished what the started. As he got up, starting to look for something she took that time to answer his questions.

"I would like to say about a week ago." she tried to think hard about it.

" so about the time you started to work for Jack?" He started to go through the cabinet that lined the walls.

"Um, yes. I think so" now becoming unsure herself.

"And there was the talk of you having dreams about dying. Can you elaborate on that?" He pulled a bag out before going back to her.

"I wish I could" she began as he watched her.

"What does that mean?" Clearly becoming irritated.

She looked down at her feet. Still not know what to say when she felt a pinch in her arm. When she looked up she seen a needle sticking out of her arm. With wide eyes, her gaze went from her arm to Damien.

Realizing his mistake he gave her a half smile. "I probably should have told you I was going to do that as well. Shouldn't I have?"

She watched him for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Yeah, you think?"

He pulled the needle and vial from her arm. As if none if it happened, he went on to ask her about her deaths. She did her best to answer despite it all feeling like a dream.

She first spoke about the Doctor, then the Master. As she spoke he continued to examine her before putting the bag away. Sally could feel the presser in her head getting worse until she had to stop talking. She did her best to ignore it, to focus on her story. But it became stronger and stronger until she couldn't take it anymore as she curled into herself. Holding her head as she began to cry. He set down in front of her again, placing a hand over her shoulder.

"It's all right, that will be enough of that for now." As he pulled her up to look her in the eyes. "What was the last thing you remember that didn't feel like a dream?"

Her head pounding she found it hard to think. "I, I, um" was the only thing she could get out around her tears.

He watched her with what she felt was him trying to be sympathetic but not quite right. "Sally, I can't help you unless we do this right. I know it painfully, but it will be better if we get it all down now. Do you understand me?" Sally tried to put her head in her own lap again. Half his words blurring, not able to understand him.

He tugged at her, not letting her loose his gaze. "Sally, look at me. Obey your Master." He said at once.

The sock of the words made her freeze. Her eyes widened as she gave him her full attention now. The pain still coursed through her head but felt a moment of relief as she watched him. "Oh god, it's you. It really is you. Please tell me it's really you."

"Yes, it is" but we have to finish this Sally." Before he knows what hit him she had her arms firmly placed around him. Her head buried in his chest. "Oh, come on. Is that necessary?!" He tried to pull himself back as he placed both hands on her shoulders trying to pry her off.

Coming to her senses she set up. "I'm sorry" she begins to wipe her face off. "I thought I was crazy, but here you are." Her happiness pushed away monetary. "Why didn't you tell me, why did you pretend you didn't know me. You ignored me all through lunch."

"I am sorry, truly I am. I had to be sure you were who I thought you were. And was like before, I'm undercover." He smiled at her "I guess it could be like old times."

She gave him a small smile before a wave of pain hit her again. This time she fell forward into his lap.

"Ok, I think we need to deal with this first" he pulled her up taking her to the one cabinet that opened up into his TARDIS. He walked her to one of the chairs as he left the room for a few moments. "I got it," he said as he shook a bottle of what sounded like pills.

Sally was still hunched over holding her head. "Sally, Sally, Sally!" His voice becoming higher as he tried to get her attention before kneeling before her. "Sally," he said again as he patted her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said as she looked up at him. Her body still doubled over, clearly in pain. "I just" her words lost as she felt herself fall back.

The Master pulled her back up. "I know you're in pain but you have to listen to me. Look into my eyes." She did her best to obey him. "Sally, I'm going to give you this pill, it will make you feel better." He began to rub the sides of her head. "The pain is already starting to go away. When you feel this in the future you will come to me, and I will help you." He handed her one of the pills, a capsule with white and blue dots. As she took it she closed her eyes for a second.

As she opened her eyes she felt a wave of relief through her entire body.

"Better?" He asked her with a grin on his face. As he stood up, stretching out a hand to help her up.

Now being able to think properly she looked around the room with a wide grin on her face. "The TARDIS, home sweet home." She looked up at with joy in his eyes. "May I?" She asked her eyes dashed from one side of the room to the next.

"But of course, like you said. Home sweet home."

Before he could get in another word she was dashing down to the lower levels to reacquaint herself with all the rooms. First, stop being her own room then the other rooms she found comfort in before, making her way back to the main control room.

"It's all there, it's all how I remembered it." Trying to catch her breath and speak at the same time. "I can't believe it. After everything. This is all real, your real. The beautiful TARDIS" she allowed herself to spin around the room, taking it all in before her gazed stopped on him. He was sitting with his legs crossed and resting on part of the control panel. My inconceivable alien." As she made her way over to him.

She took a stool that laid on the side of the room, placing it next to him and sitting down her self. "You said you were undercover? What are we doing this time?"

"Oh, how presumptuous of you to think I would allow you to work with me again." his lighthearted face gone as a cold one emerged.

Sally felt her heart sink as he said this. "But I thought." She tried to speak but words were now at a loss to her.

"But you thought what?" His eyes fixed on her, watching her as she lowered her head. "What could you possibly do to help me. You don't even know what I'm doing. Besides, you said in one of this alternate timeline you worked with the Doctor. As you may recall he and I don't exactly see eye to eye. How do I know you will not betray me?"

She quickly looked up at him with those words. "I would never!" she said sharply. The anger that quickly flickered threw her eyes becoming sorrow. " I could never, not ever do that to you. As far as the Doctor" she paused to think about her time with that man before looking back at him. " I barely knew him for ten miners before I died. But you, you gave me so much, you gave me the stars, you gave me everything. More than anyone else could give me. Why would I ever betray you? I'm your friend. Please, you have to believe me." She begged. "What could I do to?" Then she stopped what she was saying, as her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed as she watched him.

A broad grin covered his face as he watched her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you, you were in the middle of begging to travail with me again? Do continue."

But she didn’t, instead, she found herself standing up. The smugness in his grin making her blood boil, she stood next to him wanting to hit him but settling with knocking his legs down.

"Hey," he said standing up, now face to face with her.

"So? Are you going to let me travail with you or not." She was still angry at him but knowing it would pass she just stood her ground with him.

"No," he said again before turning to the controls.

"No? Why not," she followed him, ready to yell at him when he flicked a switch that normally made the TARDIS move when nothing happened.

She looked up at him confused. "The last encounter with the Doctor," he said in a huff. "Well you can see for yourself" he taped the side of the conceal with his knuckles. " it's not in working order at the moment. So no, you can't travail with me because the TARDIS isn't operational." He said with a heavy sigh.

"Well can't you do something to fix it. The Master without I'm his TARDIS is just tragic." She said as she placed a hand over his trying to comfort him.

He pulled away from her wandering around the room. "What do you think I'm doing here, working for Torchwood." He chuckled to himself. " I think its an anagram for the Doctor." He made a face as if he may have smelt something unpleasant." but anyway, where was I?" he went on. "Oh, right working undercover for Torchwood because where else am I going to find parts for my TARDIS in these backwaters. Well, I guess there is UNIT but I'm sure they would have a record of this face." He found. "I may have been a little too careless before." He began mumbling to himself.

Sally knew it was never a good thing when he started doing this. "But I can help" she spoke up with a grin on her face. " you know it would be a lot easier if I could help."

He looked up at her. "You still want to help me? You know it may not work and we will be stuck here forever?"

"Of course, I'm your friend. Don't you have any friends?" It was meant as a joke but she could see he was really thinking about it.

"Of course I do," he said recognizing the look in her eyes. "Just most of them have a habit of trying to kill me."

"No, I think that's enemies your thinking of" not sure if it was a joke or not.

He gave her a bewildered look." what's the difference?" When she had a look of concern on he smiled "Kidding." He said before making his way to the TARDIS, "shall we?" As he held the door open to let her out.

“So we are a team again?” She asked as she passed him.

“Of course we are” he gave her a warm smile as the two left.


	18. Chapter 18

"Halt!" a voice said from behind them. He smiled; they had most definitely found the right place. "Put your hands up and turn around nice and slowly." He found himself very curious as to what kind of weapon he would be confronted with.

When he turned around, he tried to hide his disappointment. The two men were just standing there. They must have heard someone else say this before, clearly not knowing the implications of their own words.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" The Master began to put his hands down, gesturing for Sally to do the same. He waited for them to reply, fighting the urge not to just dispose of them with his TCE.

"You do not have the authority to be here. You are not permitted to be together outside of your room." He said this in a way that made it sound as if there was no life in his voice, as if he himself did not understand the reason behind this rule and was merely repeating what had been said to him a hundred times before.

"Oh, really?" The Master went on in a manner that if anyone who didn't know may think he was genuine in wanting to know about their culture, which he did know more than he was letting on. "And how would we know this as foreigners?"

One of the men paused for a moment, looked at his companion then back at the Master and Sally, choosing the words he wanted to use before they came bumbling out of his mouth. "Well— Well, it was implied."

"Implied?" the Master repeated with more enthusiasm than the man. "Well, that's hardly telling us anything. I mean, I did wonder why I never saw any men or women together, or why you had the need to keep me and Sally distracted in different parts of the castle. But you can't just expect us to know what we are and are not allowed to do if you don't tell us."

He was not used to anyone questioning him. He did, after all, have the gold triangle on his lapel that would indicate authority. He looked down to check if it was still there. Yes, it was there, so why did this man think he had the right to speak to him like that?

"What do you plan on doing with us?" the Master asked. The smugness in his voice was now all over his face. He knew now they had no weapons, and he was almost certain they would have nowhere to contain them. The only thing they could do now would be to escort them back to their rooms and hope they didn't step out of line again. He also knew he would do everything in his power to seem as they were complying until the last minute.

*****

The two men walked them to their room. They didn't say anything to either of them, making Sally walk ten feet ahead of them they went down the corridors. When they made it to their door, the Master followed Sally in and the men closed the door behind them. At first, Sally thought they would lock the door and keep them in that room until it was time for them to leave, but they simply closed the door behind them and walked off.

Luckily the men didn't enter the room. Sally felt it would be far harder to explain why they had a blueprint of all of the castle. Without a moment's hesitation, the Master plopped himself down in front of it and found the exact room they had just been in. "Right here!" he exclaimed, pointing with great enthusiasm to a blank spot on the map that was close to the gold vibrating room. "Here is where we need to go. Now, we just need to act as innocent as possible between now and then. I would say we have, oh, maybe a forty-five spans at most to do all this and get off-world. I'm sure they will want to get us off as soon as possible."

"No thanks to you," Sally muttered under her breath. Thankfully he either didn't hear her or choose to ignore it. He went on to explain their plan, which seemed much more difficult now that that they had lost the trust of the locals. The Master didn't seem to think that would be a problem for them at all.

*****

The next day Sally was allowed out of her room but, unlike the last few days, no one came to greet her. She walked by a few girls she had said hello to once. They had been talking to one another as she passed, and she assumed they just didn't notice her sheepish wave. She then entered the courtyard and walked by another group of girls that she had spoken with for hours before. When she waved to them as well, all she got in return was a small smile from one of them before the woman was pulled away by another and the girls left in the opposite direction.

Sally felt her heart sink as they did this. Her worst fear had come true. She'd known they would not be there for long, but she found she had become quite attached to these girls.

She sat upon the edge of a fountain, letting the back of her hand gently touch the cool surface of the water, and soon lost track of time. 

When she finally looked up, she saw Aegrei staring at her. Her expression was blank and her voice was cold. "Are you planning on poisoning the water as well? I should tell you it's confined to that fountain, and the most damage it will do is kill a few birds. Unless that is what you want." Her eyes pierced into Sally's soul.

Sally stumbled to get up, wanting to say she was sorry, but the way she was looking at her, Sally was sure that sorry wouldn't cut it. "I didn't mean anything by it. I..." But then she stopped. Just going into that room caused this many to become this upset. There had to be a reason for it. They may not know why, but they knew what was in that room was important. She then began to think about what the Master had said would happen when they took it, and how the people here knew next to nothing about running anything by themselves and relied almost exclusively on the energy the gem gave them.

"I trusted you and you betrayed that trust." The girl's voice was slightly higher pitch than normal. Then she noticed the tears in her eyes. She quickly brushed them away and put on a cold front once more, but now Sally could see through it. Sally knew how much pain she had caused the girl, and how much more she would cause when they left the world.

Sally wanted to say something, but nothing could be said now. Without another word between the two of them she turned and briskly walked away. Sally no longer wanted to be there. She wanted to tell someone, to have anyone stop their plans, to save their planet... but she didn't. Instead, she went back to their room. She threw herself onto the bed and buried her head in the pillow, hoping she could fall asleep and not think about anything. That plan did not work.

*****

The Master came back shortly after that to find Sally laying on her back, watching the ceiling. He came back with two glasses in one hand and a bottle of something in the other. "Look what I found," he said, sounding very pleased with himself.

Sally glanced over at him as he made himself comfortable in the bed, pouring the contents of the bottle into first one drinking glass and then the other before offering one to her. She ignored him, making him frown.

"Oh, come on," he insisted. "I didn't commandeer this from their wine cellar for you to make me drink alone. Besides, we have a lot to celebrate!" He continued to frown at her, slowly twirling the liquid in the glass slightly as he held it in front of her.

Reluctantly she reached for the glass, but didn't drink from it. He had taken a few sips before she spoke again. "Don't you have your papers to be looking through?"

He gave her a blank look for a split second. "Oh, no. Now that I know where it is, everything else will be easy. I have anticipated any and all things that could go wrong and have already gotten everything under control." He gave her a grin that told her he was quite pleased with himself, and that he wanted her validation as well.

To his dismay, she didn't give it to him this time. She finally took a sip from her glass as she looked off to the far wall in the room. She felt him watching her, his grin turning into a frown.

"What is it?" he asked, more irritated than anything. "Literally everything is going to plan. We know where the gem is. We know exactly when we need to put our plan into motion. Nothing can go in or out so we don't need to worry about him getting in the way. I don't understand, Sally! Why do you—"

She cut him off before he could complete his thought. She knew he would not stop talking if he truly started. "What will happen to them?"

To her surprise, he didn't scold her for this. Instead, he gave her a bewildered look. "What will happen to who?" he said slowly.

She turned to him, finding herself more upset than before. "The people who live here! What will happen to them once we take the one thing that is keeping everything running?"

"Oh?" He turned from her, looking off into the distance. He had a look in his eyes as if he was thinking of the ramifications of their actions. "Well," he began very slowly, "I would imagine all power would be down for anywhere from a few days to a few months. I haven't seen any backup power sources, so it may even take years." He turned to face her with a shrug. "I wouldn't worry about it that much. They are clever in their own right. It will work out for them in the end."

"Years!" she said in astonishment. "Years? You're going to completely upset their way of living for years and you're telling me to not worry about it?! These people are wonderful and some of them are my friends."

"Well, who told you to make friends?" he asked in genuine confusion.

"You did!" she said harshly, almost yelling as she found herself sitting on her own legs so she was slightly higher than him. Her blood was pumping with the urge to shout.

He sat there, just staring at her for a moment before snatching the glass from her and setting it on the table next to him, and when he turned back his eyes were sharp and deathly cold. She recoiled from his gaze, slipping off the bed and walking backward until she found herself against the wall.

"I made this perfectly clear before," he began, his voice calm and low but growing harder and more sinister with every word. "I don't normally travel with companions because they get in the way. You do not question my actions. Your job is to help me, to do as I tell you. Do you understand?"

She quickly nodded her head in agreement, eyes falling to avoid his gaze. "I-I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

He grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. "Look at me," he growled. "I never once told you to befriend these people. I told you to get close enough to gather information. There is a difference."

She slowly nodded her head. "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking." She felt a strange calm wash over her, still feeling sorry for the people of this planet but desperate for him not to be angry with her.

"There we go!" He let go of her chin and placed both hands gently on her shoulders, a bright smile on his face. "Don't waste your time on what will happen to them. Their lives are nothing compared to the rest of the universe." He turned to retrieve his and Sally's glasses, but as he tried to hand hers over he noticed she was still frowning. His smile fading as he watched her. "You're still thinking about it, Sally."

She didn't answer him, her eyes still facing the ground, not wanting to start a conflict with him again.

He looked at her curiously, still not understanding her distress. He put both their glasses down again, but this time her approached her in a more sympathetic manner, placing his hand gently on her cheek. "I showed you," he said. "I thought you understood." There was no longer anger in his voice, it was quiet and disappointed.

Sally looked up at him seeing this in his face. "I'm sorry," she replied, but her mind was still on all the people of the land. She felt herself falling into him, letting her head rest on his chest.

He was taken aback by her actions but quickly become comfortable with her position, even putting his hand around her to comfort her. There was a strange feeling that came over him as they stood there. It wouldn't have been the first time someone misunderstood him. In fact, he couldn't think of one person who understood him. It almost never bothered him before, but there was something about this time that was different.

He pulled her head up to look her in the eyes. He held his hands in the air beside her head, waiting. "May I show you something?" he asked quietly.

She nodded once more and he placed his hands upon her head. She closed her eyes as she felt him enter her mind.

At that he showed her different events, each event with infinite outcomes, and as a result there were even more possible outcomes, resulting in a mess that she could no longer keep up with. Then he showed her the planet they were on, still ending, almost ending the same way with or without their influence. The longer he was in her head, the less their actions seemed to matter. Soon she couldn't take it anymore. She pulled away and stared up at him in shock and horror, trying to catching her breath.

He watched her, expressionless. "Now do you understand?" he said calmly. "Now do you see why I need to take over, why I need to control everything?"

She gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth, taking a few steps back. "Is that what you see all the time?"

"Yes. I'm a Time Lord." He took a step closer to her. "But you understand now?"

"I need to sit down." She made her way across the room to the armchair. She couldn't believe how pointless everything was. The overwhelming weight of the world was on her shoulders. The one thing that she knew to be true now was that she needed to do whatever it took to help the Master. She now understood why he didn't travel with anyone. It must have been so hard to find someone to understand all this. He needed someone and it would be her.

Once more he handed her a glass. "Sally? Are you alright?"

She gave him a weak smile as she reached for it. "I'm ready," she said slowly. He grinned back and raised his glass.

A minute before, she had almost been willing to betray him to save these people. Now she would be willing to put a gun to their heads if she must.

"Just tell me what you need me to do."


	19. Chapter 19

Sally made her way to the hub with a cup of coffee. She found she was finally settled in. Having a routine of grabbing a coffee and a pastry before going into work. She had also moved from the hotel to a flat that was in the same complex as the Master. It was an incredible coincidence that the same day she had come to visit him, the lady a few doors down from him had a family emergency, asking him to look after the fat when she was gone.

So, not wanting to be bothered, he asked Sally to stay there. The lady did have good taste in furnishings. She had light pastel blue walls with a number of hanging house plants that gave an airy life to the room. The sofa was soft and comforting. The more she thought to about it, the more she realized there was little she would want to change about the place, and if she had been in charge in the first place the end result would have been very close to this.

When she set down at the hub she noticed Jack frowning as he eyed his newspaper intensely. “Morning, Jack,” Sally called out, hoping to distract him from whatever was bothering him. But he merely waved his hand at her. He then got up and made his way to his office without another word.

Gwen and Ianto came in a few minutes after Jack disappeared. They nearly had enough time to exchange their normal pleasantries before Jake came back into the room. “Sally, can you go home real fast?” She gave him a look, about to open her mouth to respond. “I need you to get Damien over here. I have a question for him.”

She tilted her head as she considered his request. “Why do I need to go all the way home for that?”

“Because we have no other way of contacting him.” Everyone looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. “Has anyone else been able to get ahold of him indirectly?” he said defensively.

Sally walked up holding a phone up, placing it next to Jake’s ear. A moment later he later he had a surprised look in his eyes. Not taking his eyes off Sally. “No, this isn't Sally, this is Jack.” He put his hand up for the phone as Sally took a step back. “There is something I wanted to show you. Would you mind coming in? ...Okay, see in a few.” He hung the phone up a second later before handing the phone back to her. “He gave you his phone number… He has a phone?”

“Yes, why wouldn't he? We work together, after all.” Now it was Sally that everyone else was staring at.

Jack folded his hand together as he watched her. “I have known him for a little over two years and he never gave us a phone number. In fact, when I asked for his number he told me he didn't have a phone. You have known him for only three months and you’re telling me he gave you a phone number to a phone he supposedly doesn't have?”

Sally had not realized that the number he’d given her was meant to be a secret. She felt like a ton of bricks hit the bottom of her stomach. How mad at her was he going to be? Then she noticed Jack’s face. He had a look as he watched her. She began to worry when he broke into a large grin and looked over Sally’s head to Gwen and Ianto.

Ianto rolled his eyes at him. “That doesn't prove anything.

Gwen had the same smile as Jack had on. “I don't know. I think it says something.”

Sally quickly turned to face them. “No, wait-what?” She began to put together what they were implying and became very uncomfortable.   
Ianto pointed at her frantically. “See, she’s right. Even if there is something, her having his number doesn't prove anything. You haven't won anything.”

He shook his head. “I'm one of his best friends and I don't have his number. This is the next best thing to walking in on them snogging.”

Sally’s face turned red. “No!” she insisted, but at this point no one seemed to be paying attention to her input on her own life. She threw her hands up at them. “Don't I get a say in this?” she asked, looking to Gwen for some backup.

She gave her an award smile before shrugging her shoulders. “I'm kinda going with Jack on this one, sorry.”

“Unbelievable!” She let her arms fall down at her sides in disgust. “So even though I just said there is nothing going on between us you all still think there is?”

“I don't,” Ianto was quick to answer. “He's definitely gay.”

She rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door. “All of you are ridiculous.”

“You still love us, Sally” Jack called out making her turn to him long enough for her not to notice Damien in the door, walking right into him.

He grabbed her around her shoulders to stop her from falling. “Hello, you,” he said with a warm grin as she stared blankly at him. He turned her around and started to lead her back into the hub. “Jack somehow got my number.” He leaned in so only she could hear him. “You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?” They made it back into range of the other two before Sally could answer. “So you needed to speak to me about something, Jack. Well, I'm here. What could I do to help?”

“Yeah, I wanted you to see something.” He grinned as he saw Damien's hands still placed firmly around Sally’s shoulders, mistaking the gesture as something other than a threat. “But before we do that, you can answer a question we all have.”

“Absolutely, what could I help you with?” He had his overdramatic smile on that Sally only assumed was his attempt to make people feel more comfortable, despite feeling like it had opposite effect on her.

“You and Sally. What's going on between you two?” Jack asked calmly

Damien’s grin faltered as he eyed Sally before looking back to Jack. “Sorry, I don't follow. What do you mean, exactly?”

Jack grinned at the two of them before Sally turned to face him. “They think we are having sex.”

He quickly removed his hands from her.  
“Why would you tell them that?” he asked with a revolted look on his face.

“I didn't!” she tried to defend herself.

“Oh, come on. We’re all friends. You can tell us,” Gwen said, quite amused by it all.

“Well, to answer your question and to move on past all of this, no.” They found him less than amused by all of this. “Now, if you would like my help with something a little more important, I will be more than happy to help. If not, I have far more important things that I can be working on.”

The smile on Gwen and Jack faded. Jack started for his office, waving for Damien to follow.

“I told you,” Sally said quietly as she passed Gwen and Ianto on her way to her desk.

Ianto stared blankly at his desk for a moment. “Yeah, definitely gay.”

*****

A half hour later, both Jack and Damien came from his office as everyone turned back to their desks, pretending to work.

“You’re absolutely right, Jack. We will have to look into this” Damien said, his attention on some papers in his hands. “If you're right, then we will have to find out what is causing this and deal with it right away. Who knows how far this problem reaches.” He started to walk for the door past Sally’s desk. “Sally, get your things. I'm going to need your help with this.” He didn't look at her as he spoke. He also didn't notice the looks everyone else was giving him. “I'll look into some of these today. If Sally and I both go out, we should be able to get through half of these today.” Sally began to gather her stuff and followed him.

“Yeah, I don't mind.” Jack began. “Thanks for asking before you take my employees.”

He turned for a brief moment. “You have given me a large task. I could do it myself, but it will take me a few days, and who knows if there will be more in the meantime.” He held the papers above his own head. “One if these encounters was just a few hours ago. But if you insist...”

Sally stopped, not sure what was going on or where she was needed. Damien turned to Jack, already knowing what his answer would be. “Go, both of you.” He waved for them to leave before going back to his office.

 

*****

Sally and the Master walked down the street side by side as he looked through the papers with a frown on his face. “This may actually take some time.”

“Do you want to tell me what you want me to do, so I can start working on part of…” She paused, realizing she still had no idea what they were doing. “Well, you wanted me to do half of whatever it is that we are doing.”

His eyes were still stuck on the page before picking his head to look up at Sally then back to the page. “Oh, no, that won't be necessary.”

Sally stopped for a moment, watching him as he looks a few steps forward. “But— But you said you needed my help.”

“Yes, I still may. But I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier.” His tone had not changed and his eyes stayed fixed on the papers in front of him.

“I told them there wasn't anything going on. It's not my fault they can't keep their heads out of the gutter,” Sally said in defense of herself now hurrying to catch up with him.

He stopped as she made her way up to him, his brow was tight as he eyed her before realizing what she had been talking about. “Oh,” he had the same uncomfortable expression on his face that he had earlier. “Are you still on about that? No, I'm talking about you giving out the number for my TARDIS. No one must know about it. I'm undercover.” He turned to point to a paint store. “There, over there. Come along.”

As he quickened his pace, so did Sally. “You know, I don't think you have to hide who you are in front of them. I mean, they see crazy things all the time. You probably could just tell them you are having problems with your spaceship and I bet they would even help you.”

He eyed the paper one last time before folding it up and placing between his arm. “Exactly. They work with stopping alien life for a living. How do you think they would react if they find out I'm not human?”

“I don't know,” she said casually. “I can't speak for them all but Jack said he knew your friend and was quite fond of him.”

The Master swung around quickly, now standing in front of her. “What do you mean, a friend of mine?”

Sally rolled her eyes. “Sorry, your best enemy.”

“Jack knows the Doctor?” He looked off as if he was contemplating how this would impact his plans. In the end, he was content that there would be no way he could interfere with his plans, mumbling to himself before he continued toward the store. Sally walked quickly behind him. 

As Sally and the Master made their way to the store, they didn't enter but went down a small alley at the side. There was enough room for them to comfortably walk down one by one, but it would have been impossible for them to walk side by side. He made his way all the way to the end before stopping. He had looked down to a person who had been sitting with their head ready against their knees. Sally count made them out but could hear the Master speaking to them.

“I don't think you are meant to be here,” he said softly.

“Oh, good. I was worried you forgot about me!” the stranger said with excitement as they got to their feet.

“I'm sorry, what do you mean, you thought I forgot about you? I don't think we’ve ever met before.” He turned enough so Sally could now see the person. His hair looked like he had not washed in weeks and his clothes were dirty, and even from the distance she was could smell an awful aroma coming from him.

“Oh! Hello, Sally.” He gave her a small smile before turning back to the Master. “So is that all you need from me? Can I go home now? Please tell me I can go home now.” He looked down at himself with disgust. “Or at least tell me I can take a shower and get a change of clothes. I have been here for the last eight days, just like you told me to.”

“Perhaps we can go somewhere that is a little less cramped,” the Master suggested, nodding to the opening to the ally so that Sally would start to walk back.

“You mean like your TARDIS?” the stranger said.

The Master turned to look at him momentarily. He was more than convinced that the man had actual met a future version of himself, but he was still lost on why he would have done this. As of now, his TARDIS was not operational. At least that meant it would be working properly before he regenerated.

Sally slowed her pace so only the Master could hear her words. “So much for undercover,” she said, flashing him a small grin.

“Yes, I have no idea what I was thinking. But I'll have to figure this out soon.” He gently placed his hand on her arm, guiding her and the strange man out of the ally.

*****

They did not go back to his TARDIS but to a small diner off the main highway. The man ordered a large amount of food, scarfing it down so fast Sally thought she may be sick just watching him.

“So what did I tell you to do?” the Master asked, trying to avoid directly watching him eat.

The man held up a finger, asking for a second as he took a big sip of the drink in front of him to wash down the food in his mouth. “You told me you needed me to go to different parts in time and bring some people here, now. Not here as in this diner, but this time, this year. You said after that you would find me, well, where you found me.” He took another large bite out of his burger.

The Master was becoming more visibly angered by the second. “Yes, but how did you travel through time?” The Master wouldn't let just anyone pilot his TARDIS, he was sure of that.

“Ah,” he began, with food still in his mouth. He learned under the table to reach into a bookbag and pulled something out, a brown wristband of some sort. Sally recognized its design but not what it was for. Jack had worn the same thing around his wrist all the time. It resembled a leather bracelet, but at the top there was a bit that bulged out, a screen that was covered by a leather flap. “You gave me this.” He placed it down on the table.

The Master frowned as he picked it up. “It's a vortex manipulator. So that’s how you were able to time travel.” The man nodded. The prospect of this being proof that his TARDIS was up and running again in the future was unknown at this point. “Did I tell you anything else?”

The man looked as if he would say something, but a sudden fear flitted across his face. “No, nothing at all,” he said hurriedly. He looked at Sally, giving her a weak smile when she noticed. He looked from Sally to the Master, an almost sad look in his eyes as he did. Sally almost questioned him, but thought better of it and kept quiet. The Master didn't notice any of this, or if he did he didn't acknowledge any of it. “All you said,” the man continued, “was to come to this time, set these numbers in, wait ‘til you found me, and give you that back.”

“I see,” he said calmly, but it was clear his mind was running a thousand miles per minute. “Well, I'll just be taking that back then.” He held out his hand, pointing to the manipulator.

The man moved as if to hand it over to him, but hesitated. He looked over the Master, more suspicious than before. “You never told me your name,” he said, pulling the device in front of himself again.

“Well, you told me yourself that I was the one who gave you this instruction. I assumed you already knew it.” He kept his hand lingering in the air, indicating that he still very much wanted it back.

“You didn't ask me my name either,” he said coldly, pulling the device closer. “I think I'll be the one to hand this back to Jack. After all, it is his, right?”

The Master pulled his hand back, the anger in his face disappearing. 

Sally's face dropped as he said this. The realization she had not asked or told him who she was came creeping over her. “Oh my God, we didn't!” she said in embarrassment, trying to think of anything to say to make up for being so rude. She extended her hand. “I'm Sally Armstrong, and this here is...” She quickly glanced over to him, not wanting to say the wrong name.

“Damien Scott,” he answered for her. He had one of his grins on now.

The man did not. His face was still as cold as before. “I know,” he said, the venom in his words directed at the Master rather than Sally.

“I am terribly sorry for being rude like that. It's just that Jack and Gwen were giving me a hard time about him—” She tilted her head slightly to the right to nod at the Master. “—and then there was all this stuff. I hope you can forgive me...” Her eyes grew large as she realized the second thing she had forgotten that day. “Wait, you said you know Jack?” She smiled at him, trying to warm his mood.

It seemed to work a little because when he turned to her, something resembling a smile came across his face. Placing his left hand firmly on the device, he brought up his right. “I'm Tom. And yes, I know Jack. I work for him.” His demeanor seemed to change as he spoke. He made a small sound as if he was laughing at himself. “It's strange, introducing myself to someone I already know.” He moved his other hand back on top of the other. “It's nice to know Gwen is there too. Hey, do you think we can go there after we’re done here? I want to give this back to Jack and maybe grab a shower.”

“Of course,” the Master said, his teeth baring as he smiled. “And perhaps after that, we can put all this nastiness behind us and start over. After all, the only reason I had been so insistent on you giving me the vortex manipulator was because I didn't realize you knew Jack. We are, after all, co-workers, and should be able to get along better then we have.” He began to flag the waitress down.

Tom nodded, but there was something unsettling about his eyes while the Master spoke. “I should hit the restroom before we leave.” He got up, leaving the vortex manipulator on the table. The Master eyed it as he spoke with the waitress, waiting until the man was out of sight to reach for it. But after taking only a few steps, Tom turned around to reach for it before continuing to the back of the restaurant.

The Master raised his fist high and drove it down onto the surface of the table. To Sally’s surprise, it made next to no sound when his hand and the table met. “Damn it! I need to get my hands on that before he gets it back to Jack.”

Sally’s smile was gone. “How long do you need it for?” she asked quietly.

“Hm? Oh, I’ll only need it for, oh, five microspans,” he said, keeping his eyes on the door Tom had gone into. Sally glanced over to him, and without her having to ask, he answered. “Two and a half minutes.”

“Alright, I can do that. Just hang back when we leave.” She too was eyeing the door, with the same cold stare as the Master.

His concentration broken, he swiveled on his seat. “What do you mean, you can do it? How?”

She smiled as her gaze met his. “I'm a woman. Besides, you saw how he was looking at me.”

The Master squinted at her for a moment. At that, she did the same, just more exaggerated. Not being able to hold a serious face, she found a grin on her face, trying to hold back from laughing at him. It wasn’t long before he broke down, reflecting her expression onto his own face.

“Are you ready?” a voice from above them asked. Tom had made it back to the table without Sally realizing it.

The Master began to get out of his chair. “But of course! Lead the way. I assume you do know the way from here. Right?”

Tom slowly nodded as the three of the left. Once they made it outside, Sally let him get ahead and gave the Master a wink before going slightly faster to catch up with him. She walked so there was very little distance between the two of them.

She started off with small talk, and when he seemed to be warming up to him she nudged his side in a playful way. “So, future co-worker. How long have you been working for Torchwood?”

“I don't know if I should talk to you about this,” he said nervously.

“Oh? I suppose you’re right. It's still kind of cool, you have to admit that.” She still had a broad grin, doing her best to warm up to him.

He didn't say anything right away, staring at his feet before quickly glancing up and then down again. “Have you ever seen a TV show from the beginning, and you get to know all the characters and it feels... safe, but the show had been on the air for years and there are five seasons after the one you watch, and you go and you watch the new one by mistake? But everything is different. Like, people who you thought would be together hate each other, or people who hated each other are boning and nothing feels safe, everything just feels off. And you know if you only saw how things unfolded it would be okay, but now that you know how it ends it's ruined the old seasons as well.” He glanced up at Sally, who didn't know how to respond so she just faked a smile and nodded a bit. “Yeah, I know, it doesn't make any sense, but neither does you being nice to me. From day one, you didn't trust or like me. Now you’re being the nicest person in the world to me.”

Sally, not knowing what to say but determined to meet her objective, rattled her brain. The two of them walked in silence for a long time. Suddenly the conclusion to her dilemma struck her. She took a few steps ahead of Tom, stopping him in his path. “What if!” she said, loudly and enthusiastically, walking backward as she spoke. “What if the only reason I was like that to you was that you told me I was? What if we could start over right now and be friends?” She gave him a warm smile as she spoke.

“I don't know about that.” He eyed her with a neutral stare, about to make more points to back his claim up.

“Don't be silly! Of course we can.” She stopped moving to spread out her arms, asking for a hug. “Please, Tom. I would so love for us to be friends. Come on.”

When he finally gave in and embraced her, she shot a look over his shoulder to the Master, who quickly walked up behind him. Instead of grabbing for the manipulator that was seated on the back of his belt, he placed his hands on Tom’s shoulders. “What is that?” He pointed to some trees ahead of them. “Is that...? Oh, I think it is! It's a nightingale.” As the other two looked he gently slid the manipulator off the man’s belt. “You know, I don't think they are very common around these parts.” He took a few steps back before placing both hands behind his back, resuming the same distance he had before.

Sally twirled around to Tom’s left side and reached for his hand. “I'm glad we're friends now,” she said with a warm smile. He smiled back, and was still smiling a few minutes later when Sally distracted him again with the sunset as the Master slipped the manipulator back on his belt.


	20. Chapter 20

Sally walked along a corridor alone that evening. She wasn't sure of the time, or how long she had been walking for. She knew what they had to do but she couldn't help but wonder how different things would be for them after they were gone. 

She noticed Aegrei from the corner of her eye. She wanted to say something but thought better of it. She turned to walk the other way but soon realized Aegrei was behind her, following her step for step. For the first time in hours, she looked around. Had she gone to a restricted area by mistake? Could that be why Aegrei was following her?

She turned, intending on telling her off. Sally recognized where she was and knew she had every right to be there. But as she turned, she found she lost her voice. A wave a guilt came over Sally as she looked at the girl. 

Aegrei reached for Sally’s hand. “I have to show you something,” she said with a soft voice. Before she could answer she was being dragged away. She tried to ask what they were doing, but she didn't answer. She kept dragging her down a few more corridors. 

They finally made it to the end of one. There had been no doors or windows. Sally could hardly remember how they got there. Was it two lefts, a right, and another left, or was it two lefts, two rights, and a left? She found her questioning her own memories over and over again. Why couldn't she remember how they got there?

Aegrei gave her a sympathetic look. “There is a perception and memory filter in these corridors that will make it impossible for you to remember how you got there. Don't bother trying to remember.” Sally opened her mouth to ask how Aegrei was able to remember, but she beat Sally to it and held up a small piece of paper. She held it in a way that she couldn't read it, but it was clearly a map of the entire palace. 

Aegrei began to point things out on the electrical grid. “See here...” She pointed to some buttons on the top right. “That controls the water supply. There is very little rain here, but no one ever worries about it because that is to a machine that takes the moisture out of the air and there is always more than enough water to go around.” She then pointed to the top left. “These ones over here turn the wheat and other vegetables that are gathered into the food everyone eats. Just like water. food is hard to come by without these, and the people here would find it very hard to live without its ability to divide what we have in a productive way.”

She then turned the side of a square cover. “The buttons under here control a dam that is holding back lava. If you look outside, you’ll see a ditch. That used to be a river of the stuff. If these controls were no longer functioning, none of these things would work, and everyone would suffer for it. That was what was in the room, the power to all of these. That is what they are protecting.” Her voice went from anger to desperation. 

Sally, feeling a lump in the back of her through begin to back up. “Why are you telling me this? It means nothing to me. I told you it was a mistake before.” She tried to make herself sound believable but knew she was failing at it. 

The girl almost ran up to her grabbing her hands. “He has evil eyes, Sally! He will do so much harm and not think twice about it. You must not trust him.” She moved her one hand up to her face, caressing it. “I know these are not your plans, but if you go along with it you will be just as bad as him. Please, my sweet, think about your own soul.” 

Sally pulled away from the girl, partly scared, partly confused. “I-I-I don't know what you're talking about.” She stumbled, taking a few steps back. The girl reached out for her again but fell short as Sally turned quickly around now running down the corridors. She had no idea what way she was going so it took her longer then she wanted before she made it back to her room. 

******

She tried to compose herself before she opened the door. The Master would be in there and she didn't want him being cross with her as well. To her relief, he had been sitting on his bed with his eyes closed and wouldn't notice she had been crying. She didn't believe he was asleep. His face still had a sharpness about it that seems to slip away when on the rare occasions would actually drift into sleep.

She took a seat at the armchairs so not to disturb him. Her head swimming, again unsure what the right thing to do was. She must have fallen asleep because when she woke, the Master was in front of her with a broad grin.

He gently rocked her shoulder to wake her up. “It’s time, Sally. Grab anything you’ll need.” He began to look around the room for anything he may have dropped.

Sally rubbed her eyes, watching him for a few moments. “Time for what?” She had still been mostly asleep and wasn't putting together what he was saying.

He shot her a disapproving look. “The gem! We are getting the gem today. Then we are leaving.”

“When?” she asked, now pulling herself out of the seat. Twisting her neck that had been slightly pinched from how she was sleeping. 

Another disapproving look before he barked at her. “Now! Get ready because we are not coming back here.” He bent down to pick something off the ground. In Sally's hazy state she could have sworn it was a pen, a metal pen. 

******

Next thing Sally knew they were walking briskly through the corridors, ducking around corners when anyone would approach them. They kept that up until they made it to the room in question. He violently grasped for her hand, pulling her along. If she had any second thoughts on what they were doing she would not be able to change her mind now. 

The room began to vibrate as soon as they entered. He yanked her to a wall at the end of the room. It had been completely smooth and she could not see how they would find anything in the room. The vibration in the room now vibrating in her own body, she felt a small tingle in the back of her head and within. Within seconds became an awful headache. She was unable to think properly anymore. Feeling as if she was unable to support her own weight, she felt the Master putting his arm around her, holding her up. 

“Not much longer. Almost there, Sally,” he said, reaching for something in his left pocket. It had been the pen he’d picked up off the ground earlier. With closer examination, she noticed that it had not been a pen at all. It was a mere piece of metal, smooth on both ends. He aimed it at the wall and it made a kind of buzzing sound. 

At first, it didn't seem like anything was happening, but then she noticed a panel began to emerge from the wall. Just when she thought she couldn't take any more, she heard a large crash as a good portion of the wall fell at their feet. At this the Master let Sally go. She felt herself collapse on the ground. The pain in her head finally began to fade. 

He leaned down to show her a small blue gem he had in his hand. It was no bigger than a small pebble. Sally knew that without it, it would be the certain destruction of everything these people knew to be true. 

She grasped at her head. The effects of the room had stopped but she still didn't feel like herself yet. The Master had been standing once more, too busy eyeing the gem to notice that she was in discomfort. 

Sally made an attempt stand up to no avail. The Master looked down at her, almost glaring at her. “Are you going to be able to walk?” 

“Yes,” she said, trying once more, making more progress then she did with the first attempt but found herself sliding down again. This time she noticed the metal object the Master was using laying on the ground. “Are you going to need this?” She picked it up to show him before trying to stand once more. The Master pocketed the gem before helping her up. 

He reached for the object in her hands. “Yes, I will need this.”

Sally let herself lean against him to recenter herself. As she did this she could feel where the tissue compression eliminator and the gem were stuffed in his left pocket. A thought crossed her mind as she stood there. But she would have to distract him first. “What is it?” She pointed the metal object. 

“It’s a sonic—” he began, but then stopped, a flicker of guilt crossed his face before shifting to anger. This wasn't the first time she saw him make that face. In fact, it had been the same face he made any time he mentioned some bloke he went to school with. She once made the mistake of calling him his boyfriend. That had been a mistake. He glanced at her, then the object. “It's a sonic thing,” he replied as he walked her toward the door. “Don't worry too much about it.”

“Sonic thing,” she repeated, confident in its name. “What do you use it for?” she asked, wanting to keep him distracted. 

“Well, you see,” he began, almost as if he didn't want to tell her, which just made her want to know more. “It was a long time ago, and... well... long story short, there was a lot of bookcases that needed to be put together.” 

“So it's like a screwdriver?” she said, thinking it was a harmless question. 

“No!” he said firmly as he made it to the doorway. He looked both ways and then back at Sally. “Who'd have a sonic screwdriver?”

Before she could answer—“well, clearly you would”—he was looking both ways down and up the corridors. “Can you walk on your own?” She nodded. As she did, though, the entire place began to rumble. The two of them grasped the archway for support until it subsided. “How about run?” He glanced back at her before taking her hand and starting down the corridor, placing small devices on the walls every twenty feet or so. He no longer seemed to have a concern for who they may run into. 

This soon became a real problem. “Halt!” they heard some men call from behind them. The two of them stopped out of instinct. The Master grinned, expecting to be met with the same unarmed men as before, but as the turned around he found out that wasn't the case. These men wore red and gold armor with a funny little emblem engraved on the shoulder pads, carrying some of the most intimidating weapons Sally had seen in some time. To her surprise, the Master didn't seem upset by this. He kept his hands up but his grin did not waver.

“We should have known it would be you,” the one man said in disgust. “The accomplice is new.” 

The Master smirked. 

“What are you smiling about?” he barked. “It's over, Master. We are taking you back to Gallifrey.”

“Oh, are you?” He began to lower his arms. As he did they begin to fire at him. Lasers emitted from their guns, but none of them found their mark. The Master began to laugh the most terrifying laugh Sally had ever heard in her life. After a moment all was quiet again. He glanced over to the wall where he had placed that small electronic device. 

They followed his gaze, eyes growing as they did. They stumbled back a few steps before screaming, “fall back! Fall back!” But it was too late; he already held something else against the wall. The men began to clutch at their throats until they were on the ground, passed out. 

“What did you do?” Sally asked as he reached at her arm, tearing down the corridors once more. The rumbling of the building became stronger and more severe as they went on. 

“Those things on the wall are making small pockets, like air bubbles. Nothing can get past them once they are up and running.” He stuck another one to the side of the wall. “It's harmless enough—that is unless you suck the air of that bubble. Don't worry, the odds of them dying are very slim.” She found herself less worried about them and more about her own safety. He called back to her as another tremor hit them. “Besides, they are ridiculously easy to disarm with the right equipment,” he said as he placed another one on the walls beside them.

“You mean like a screwdriver? Maybe a sonic one?” she said, knowing it would get a rise out of him. He stopped to reply just as Sally felt something grab her.

She did her best to get away, but a moment later she could see Aegrei pointing the same high-tech gun at the master. Her gaze was darker then Sally had ever seen it. Sally couldn't see the man who held her, but she could see another man who looked native feebly holding a gun at the Master as well.

Aegrei ordered the man to look through the Master’s pockets. With a weak sigh, the Master slowly raised his hands. The man began looking in his left pocket. Sally knew they wouldn't find anything but used this opportunity to her advantage. 

“He doesn't have it!”

Aegrei signaled the man to turn the gun on Sally while keeping her eyes on the Master. “What do you mean?” There was something dark about the way the woman spoke that made Sally uneasy.

“I mean...” she started, worried about the outcome of her actions would be, hoping she was doing the right thing. “After what you said about the gem, and the Master, and all of it...” She felt the guilt filling her, suddenly finding it hard to look at the Master.

If she had, she would have seen a rage in him that she had not ever seen before, one that, if she had seen it, may have caused her to fear him for the rest of her life. “You betrayed me!” His words were filled with venom and hatred. His hands were put behind his back and Aegrei began to tie his hands together. 

Sally did her best to ignore his words and how much they cut through her. “I have it.” She slowly raised her head to look at Aegrei. “I have the gem.” She made herself look over at the Master “I'm sorry, but it was the only way!” She quickly looked away. “I can give it back to you now. This all can be over now, if you let me...” Aegrei nodded to the man behind her to allow her to reach into her pocket. 

She felt him release her. Sally took a deep breath. She knew what the Master was capable of, and had an idea of what these people were capable of too. She knew she would have to do everything perfectly if she was going to make it out of there alive. At that moment, in perfect timing, the tremor came rolling down the corridor. As it did, she thrust her hand in her pocket, but instead of reaching for the gem her hand clenched around the TCE. She whipped it out before anyone knew better, aimed carefully, and fired at Aegrei, just barely missing the Master, then the man with the gun. Their bodies lay on the floor, looking just like tiny dolls. 

“You nearly hit me!” the Master shouted as she put the TCE in her pocket and ran over to him to help release his hands. “You betrayed me and almost hit me with my own weapon!”

She examined the foreign handcuffs that bound his wrists. “Clearly I haven't,” she said, trying to free them with no luck. “I knew it would be easy for someone to believe that I would, and give us the upper hand.” 

The Master thought about it and came to the conclusion that it was more likely she wasn't lying. “Use the sonic screwdriver.” She reached into his pocket to take it out. “Just aim it at the lock. It should come up with the right combination to unlock it.”

Sally smiled to herself. I knew it was a screwdriver. But, knowing better than to speak these words out loud, she just aimed and pressed the button. A moment later the Master was free, rubbing at his wrist where the handcuffs once were.

“Stop!” a weak voice called from behind them. It was the man that had been holding Sally. How could she have forgotten him? “I'll shoo—” But his words fell short. At the same time he began to threaten them, the Master reached into his left pocket and pulled out a second TCE. Soon another doll lay beside the gun on the floor. 

Sally looked up at him, shocked, amazed, and grateful. “You knew I would...” She couldn't finish her thoughts. 

“Of course,” the Master said with a smile, placing his TCE back into his pocket. “ I told you I anticipate everything.” He went to the wall, disarming his own device. He glanced at Sally. “You know, the tissue compression eliminator looks good in your hands. Maybe you should keep ahold of that one.” He gave her a wink, grabbed her hand, and together they made a break for the door that was now only a few feet away. 

It was a straight shot from there. The rock side was in sight, and so was the TARDIS. It seemed to be too perfect until she heard a familiar sound of a dematerializing TARDIS. Had someone gotten into the Master’s TARDIS and begun to take off? No, that would have been impossible; not only would they have to be able to get past his defenses, but they would have to know how to drive a TARDIS. Then came the sinking feeling that there had been people who know who the Master was and ways to slow him down. Was it hard to believe that they could have been Time Lords and would have no problem working his ship? 

Before she could fully process it all the Master yanked on her arm, but instead of running to the TARDIS he pulled her behind a rock. As they slowly peeked around she could see the noise wasn't coming from the rocks, but right in front of them. A few seconds later something blue began to appear. “Another TARDIS?” Sally said under her breath.

“Ssshhhh!” The Master pressed his hands over his own lips before looking back at what now looked like a large blue box, with the words “Police Box” written across the top. She looked over to see him smiling, one of the few times she’d seen a real smile on his face. “Now the real question is, which one of him will it be?” He wasn’t talking to Sally but to himself. She had gotten used to that, but she always was tempted to answer him. Today she just watched him. “Oh, of course he would park that piece of garbage in front of my TARDIS doors. Always have to make things difficult, don't you?”

As he sifted through his pockets Sally found herself looking around, noticing it was getting hotter and hotter. That was when she noticed that there was a river of lava slowly making it their way. She tried to get his attention but he paid her no mind, his eyes fixed on the box.

She could just make out somethings he was mumbling to himself. “It could be fun, I could pin it all on him. Yes, seeing him squirm...” He glanced down at Sally, more precisely the pocket that held the blue gem. “No, too risky, if either of us will have any hope to...” He shook his head. “No, we are leaving. Anything else is too reckless,” he told this to Sally as if she’d had any part in that conversation. 

She again yanked at his arm, showing him the lava she had noticed. “That's not good,” he said looking down to where the two TARDISes stood. “This whole valley will be filled within thirty minutes.”

At that two people emerged from the front door of the police box. One was a short man with a Panama hat, a vest covered with a question marks, and an umbrella in his hand. The second was a girl with long hair tied up and an oversized leather jacket. Sally could just make out what they were saying. “Now, these people are a little skittish, but once you get to know them they are really quite nice.” He tried pulling a key from his pocket. “Let me just lock her up before we get going.” But before he could make it to the door, there was an explosion between the door and themselves. With one hand he grabbed for his hat, and with the other the girl's arm. “Come on, Ace! Run!” 

The Master laughed at this, and Sally couldn't help but see him as a child at that moment. He threw something else in their direction that exploded inches from their feet, forcing them to climb to the top of the hill. As they made it to the top they were greeted by some locals a few yards away, awkwardly hold guns to them. “So much for peacefully,” the girl scolded him as the two of them raised their hands and allowed themselves to be escorted away. 

“Should we do something?” Sally asked the Master, whose focus was elsewhere. But she too was finding it hard to keep her thoughts on track as the heat was beginning to make her head swim. 

He then turned to her. “Okay, listen to me carefully. I need you to keep an eye on them. As soon as they are out of sight I'm going to make a break for his TARDIS. Once I'm inside I need you to run for mine. By the time you make it over I should have already dematerialized his.” He grabbed for her shoulders, making sure she was paying attention to him. “I need you to get everything ready so as soon as I make it back, we can take off. The coordinates I need you to set are 20-5-82-00-08. Got it?” 

She nodded as he let her go, turning to watch the funny little man and the girl trying to reason with the others. Sally felt her head getting hotter and hotter, sweat forming on her forehead and slowly making its way down her neck. She tried to wipe it away but it was no use. She began to feel faint. As she leaned against the rock for the support, she could see them finally disappearing. She swung her hand behind her to let the Master know they had gone. 

The Master was about to take off, but then he sawa how exhausted Sally had become. He scooped her up in his arms, balancing her in the one before slapping her face a few times. “Sally? Sally, you have to stay awake just a little longer, alright?” She tried to stand, nodding uncertainly. The Master looked from her to the TARDIS, then back to the approaching lava. For a moment he considered leaving her where she lay, but he thought better of it and dragged her over so he could prop her up against the rocks. “Okay, change of plan. When this TARDIS moves—” He pointed to the blue box, but Sally’s eyes drifted shut and her arms went limp. He slapped her again. “Sally, this is very important, you got that?” She nodded once more, finding she was losing his words and sleep suddenly seemed like a good idea. And she did, only for a brief second or two, but it was long enough for the blue box to have disappeared. 

She awoke with a start and jumped to her feet. How long had it been? Would she still be able to do her part? Had he left without her? She reached to the rock next to her, relieved that it opened and she was able to slip into it. An overwhelming breeze of cold air greeted her. Feeling as if she had all life brought back into her, she raced to the control panel. She got everything ready. She put in the coordinates he wanted. All she had to do now was wait for him.

He didn't show.

Sally began to panic. Had something gone wrong when she fell asleep? What was she missing? She turned the screens on to see what was going on outside. She could see a slow flow of lava making its way over. There was no sign of the Master and the lava got closer and closer. Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen. The lava would encase of the front door any minute now. Should she move it elsewhere? She began to panic. If she did and that wasn't what he wanted... She could afford two more minutes, then she would move it, she thought. 

An awful thought struck her. She knew how to move the TARDIS, but she still had no idea how to set where it would go. Yes, she could put coordinates in, but she hadn’t the faintest idea what the numbers meant. If she was going to move it, it would have to be to where the Master wanted it to go. She put the hand on the button that would take her off and closed her eyes. Then what? She would save herself from the lava, but how would she get home? Would she be stuck in space forever? Or worse, would he have sent her to a hostile planet where she would be killed, slowly. Oh god, she thought. This is it. This is his way of getting back at me for pickpocketing him.

Just then the doors were flung open. The Master quickly shut them behind him, sweat almost pouring off of him. “Go,” he tried to say, but Sally had already run over and threw her arms around him. 

“I'm so glad you didn't leave me!”

“Leave you?” he sputtered, equal parts confused and angry. “You're the one with my ship. How would I be the one to leave you?” He peeled her arms away from him. “Off.” When she didn't do anything for a moment, thinking he was just talking about her hugging him, he turned his hands over to the controls. “We need to take off!” With that Sally darted away to hit the last few buttons before they took off. 

As they began to dematerialize she could see in the screen the lava forming around them. Relieved that they both made it out alive, she watched the Master, who began to peel away his sweat-soaked jacket. “Why did it take so long?” she asked him

“Simple” he began, still sounding out of breath. “I parked the other TARDIS up on the hill. I had to climb down.”

“Couldn't you have just parked it a few feet away from this one?” she asked, wondering why he had gone so far out of his way. 

“If I did that, then...” He paused to think his words over. “Well you see,” he said with more delight, “since I put it all the way up there, that means that the Doctor will have to go through all that trouble to get it back.” He seemed pleased with his answer until Sally asked him another one.

“But wouldn't it been harder for him if it was under lava?”

His smile vanished as he went over to the controls. “Well, oh, shut up.”

******

They found themselves landing on another ship, one that they were both familiar with. “It’s good to have a backup ship,” he’d said, “so I don’t have to take the TARDIS into places that are too dangerous.” When they made it aboard they were greeted by Sally’s voice, the automated systems programmed to speak like her. It had made her feel more important, and maybe if something went wrong it could be a reminder to the Master that she was still around. The Master slipped his hand into her jacket to pull out the gem. He hit a few buttons on the control pad. A small panel opened up and he placed it inside before closing it again. “Well, that's all we can do for now.” He gave her a small smile before putting his arm around her, ready take her back to the TARDIS. “Shall we?”


	21. Chapter 21

Sally quickly regretted grabbing for Tom's hand to prevent him from finding that the Master tampering with the time vortex manipulator because now he wouldn't let go of it. She found that she was becoming more and more uncomfortable with it, but also found that her time with the Master had made her very good at faking her emotions. Somehow she maintained a smile as they walked along.

She was relieved when they made it to the hub and the man finally let go of her hand. “The showers are down this corridor and around the bend on the left,” she began, but he was halfway down the corridor before she finished.

“I know,” he called back. “I’ll see you in a few.”

As soon as he made it out of sight she began to frantically wipe her hand on the Master's jacket. 

He jumped back in disgust. “What are you doing?!”

This did not make her stop. “His hand was gross!”

He grabbed at her wrist. “It’s hardly my fault,” he said, a slight whine in his voice. “Stop it!”

“It only happened because I was helping you. Deal with it,” she joked, attempting to reach for his hand.

He pulled away, pointing an accusing finger at her. “Now, now, we will have none of that.” 

He seemed to still be in a good mood about it, so Sally decided it would be best if she didn't push her luck.

*****

A few minutes later they were explaining the situation to Jack. “So what you’re telling me,” Jack said, pointing to the Master, “is that you told him that he needed to bring all these people to this time, just to bring them back after you found him?” He folded his arms. “But why?”

“I have no idea,” the Master admitted. “That's the problem with time travel. You can never predict the future or why you're going to do something until you do it.” He paused for a moment. “The way I see it, we have to options: believe him when he says that I sent him, or assume that he’s lying.” He took a deep breath as if to give himself time to think it over. “I guess either way we should find the rest of them and take them home first. We can figure out if he's lying later.” 

“And how will we find that out?” 

“Hope we see the signs that he's going to betray us before he does.” His calmness about the situation seemed to put Jack on edge. “I find from personal experience that it's always best to assume someone is playing against you from the start. That way, you always have the upper hand.” 

“Maybe that's not a risk I'm willing to—” Jack began. 

He was cut off when Tom entered the room with a pair of black pants he had not had on earlier, a damp towel over his head, and the manipulator around his wrist. “What did I miss?” he asked. “What's the game plan?”

Jack opened his mouth as if to answer, but the Master stepped forward. “I'll go collect all the people you brought here and take them back.” He held out his hand, eyeing the leather wristband around Tom’s arm.

Tom took a step back and looked to Jack for the go ahead. Jack, just as confused, gave him a slight nod. He slowly took it off and handed to him, not sure that was the best idea but not wanting to cause a commotion.

“Good job,” the Master said with a smile that seemed out of place, strapping it around his own wrist. “Now, just give me a map of where and when everyone is and I'll be off.” He allowed himself a little laugh, as if at something funny that only he knew about. 

After he made about thirty dots on the map of Cardiff, accompanied by times and dates, the Master ripped it from the table and neatly folded it up. He left the room without saying a word. 

“Do you need me to help?” Sally asked.

He was already halfway through the door. “No, thank you,” he called back without even turning his head, and he left without another word.

Sally tried to think about what he could be up to. Why had he needed the manipulator if he would have it seconds later? Why did he tell this Tom guy to bring all these people back only to take them home again? She racked her brain, trying to remember the things they had done before. Maybe there was a clue to what he was doing now. That didn't last long before Sally felt her head pound again. She didn't even feel it coming on this time. Without hesitation or another thought, she found herself doubled over a garbage can, throwing up, with Jack rushing over to hold her hair and pat her back.

Tom rushed over as well, equally trying to find a way to be helpful. “Are you alright?” Tom asked frantically. Sally waved to her bag that was sitting on her desk. He almost upset the container as he grabbed it and handed it over to her. 

Jack kept ahold of her hair and kept rubbing her back while she pulled a small floral coin pouch from her bag, took a blue and white capsule from it, and popped it into her mouth. 

“What is that?” Tom asked as he watched her, but she didn't answer. The pain was slowly going away but she found it took a lot of energy out of her.

“Come on,” Jack said as he helped her up to a standing position. “Let me take you home. You need to rest.” He started to lead her to the door.

She wanted to object, but she knew she would be no good to anyone right now. The best thing she could do was sleep.

******

When she woke up in her bed, it was dark outside. It took her a moment to remember what had happened. A small clock next to the bed read 6:15, but that didn't help in telling her if it was morning or night. She was still wearing the clothes as before. Since she was already dressed, she decided to walk down the hall. 

When she made it to his flat she found the door wasn't locked, so she let herself in to find seven unfamiliar people standing around. The Master’s gaze flashed to the door, but he relaxed once he noticed it was her. “Oh, you’re up?” he said. “I heard you were having a bad time today.” He was holding a large silver sphere as he spoke. “I have had a long day myself. Busy collecting and taking all these people back to their proper time. I really hope there is a good reason for this because at this point this seems like more of a hassle than it's worth.” He seemed to be touching the sphere in a way that told her it was more then what it seemed. “If you want to wait, I'll be done here in a moment.”

He handed it to the one man to hold. “Okay, listen up,” he said, his voice bold and confident. “This is very important and can be detrimental if you are not one hundred percent honest with me. Everyone who is left is from the year 2020 or later and have never had any interactions with Jack Harkness?” They all nodded. “Alright, everyone, gather round. Everyone must be in contact with the sphere.” Sally took a seat on the couch, seeking uninterested in what he was doing.

As all of them placed their hands on it, a smaller boy with big eyes looked over to him. “Time travel, space, time, all of this. How do you expect us to go back home and live normal lives now? Can't I stay a bit longer? All of this is too wonderful to just go back to my normal life.”

The Master put on a grin as he fiddled with a remote in his hands. “Do you think you can hold on to that feeling for another five minutes?” The boy nodded his head. “Well then, there shouldn't be a problem.” 

The seven of them frowned in confusion at his words, wondering what he’d meant before he backed away from them. A second later they were all gone.

“Where did you send them?” Sally asked as she looked up from a paper she was reading.

“Back to their own times, of course,” he said as if it was obvious.

“Oh, really?” She raised an eyebrow as she watched him. “So you're telling me you didn't take almost everyone back to their own time, and then get bored or tired and just kill the last seven people because you felt it wouldn't be a problem?” 

He rolled his eyes as he sat down beside her. “Oh, well, don't you just have all the answers for everything.” He knew it would be pointless to deny it, but he wouldn't directly tell her she was right either.

“Of course not,” she said with a small grin. “If I had all the answers, I wouldn't need you.”

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke, turning ever so slightly toward her. “How do you feel about watching a movie?” He didn't wait for her to answer. He stood and went into the TARDIS, returning with a box of DVDs. He crouched over them on the ground. 

She moved slightly forward to peek at the cases. Most of the movies looked to be cartoons. Soon enough he seemed to settle on one with an animated car on the front. “This is a good one.” He disappeared back into his TARDIS, this time emerging with a television on a small cart.

As he took his place beside her and started the film, Sally couldn't help but feel a little offended. Why did he think she would want to watch a children's movie about a talking car? That was until about halfway through, when she looked over at him to see his eyes fixed to the television, completely immersed in the movie. 

She found herself drifting off to sleep again. When she opened her eyes the talking cars were still on the screen, but there was a pile of cases on the table. The Master’s eyes were still transfixed to the television.

“How many did you watch?” Sally asked, rubbing her eyes and looking through the many boxes that now cluttered the table.

“This is the sixth one, but I popped into the TARDIS and found all ten that were made.” He seemed pleased with himself. “It's fascinating, isn't it? I have never seen sentient vehicles like this before.” 

She found herself about to laugh until she realized he wasn't joking. He actually thought they were real. She thought for a moment, but after six movies she didn't have the heart to correct him. 

“What time is it?” she asked, sitting up and noticing it was still dark out.

“Time for you to get a watch?” he said, ignoring the look she was giving him. “Check your phone.” It seemed he was too busy focusing on the movie to answer her properly. When she did, she realized she would have to be back to work shortly, so she left to get ready. She wasn’t sure he even noticed.

*****

When Sally made it into work, Jack, Ianto, and Gwen were all sitting around Tom. It seemed as though he had just finished a very funny joke because all of them were laughing and hardly noticed her entering the room. 

Tom was the first to notice Sally. “Are you feeling better?” he quickly asked, jumping up from his seat to give it to her. 

“No thank you,” she said as she politely waved her hand to dismiss the offer, making her way to her own computer.

“Oh, come on. You have to join us,” Tom said, a little concerned for her behind his smile. 

“No, it's alright. I'm not up for socializing much today. I was talked into watching all six Cars movies last night and I'm a bit tired.”

“Oh?” Gwen began with a small smirk on her face. “And who is this person you were spending all this time with?” 

“The—” Sally interrupted herself with a fake cough. “Um, Damien.” She turned to her computer. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she didn't feel like having this conversation again. 

“Cars? You mean the cartoon?” Ianto asked, a bewildered look in his eyes. “I thought there were only three of them.” He quickly went to his phone, punching away at the touchscreen. “Yeah, it says they’re planning on releasing Cars 4 soon. Says it’ll be the last one in the series.”

Jack and Gwen gave each other a look before Jack spoke up. “I'm guessing she wasn't paying attention to the movie.” Jack turned to face Sally. “Am I right?”

“Yes,” she began, still doing her best to not engage them in conversation. “If by not paying attention you are referring to me sleeping because I was still feeling awful, then yes.” 

To her relief, the Master walked through the door a moment later, moving the attention off of her and onto him. 

Before anyone could say anything he presented the map. “Don't worry, I saved the day! Everybody is back to their rightful place in time and space,” he shouted, before whispering something only Sally could hear. “More or less.”

“I still don't understand why you asked him to do all of this if the end result was you just taking everyone back.” Jack put on his serious face as he turned to the Master.

“Nor do I, but it's something I hope to get to the bottom of very soon.” He walked over to Tom, who shifted in his seat as the Master approached him. “I guess the only one left is you?” He gave him a smile as Tom scooted himself back on the stool he was sitting on.

“Um… Yeah, I guess so,” he said, sounding nervous. He quickly looked over to Jack. “Well, how about you take me back? It's not a big deal or anything. It, um... It's just...” Poorly hidden panic raced across his face. “It's just that you have already done so much! Perhaps it would be best if you took a break.”

“Oh, don't worry about me.” The Master continued to smile, but Sally could see he was his tipping point and any small thing could set him off now. 

Tom lifted his hand toward the vortex manipulator. “Besides, it's Jack's and it would probably be best if I kept hold of it and gave it back to his future self. Then this Jack can just use his own to get back.” 

The Master was so focused on Tom that Jack took the manipulator from him almost without him noticing. “That doesn't make sense,” he said while examining the device. “Mine doesn't work, so how could this one? But you have a good point. It's not safe to make that many trips with these things in that short a time. I can take Tom back and we can figure out how I will get back after that. Maybe if I talk to myself, we can find a way to get mine to work.”

“Or,” Ianto interrupted, taking the vortex manipulator from Jack and handing it back to Tom, “you can take yourself back and just give it to Jack yourself so there isn't a bunch of weird time stuff going on.” Everyone was now watching him. “Well, I mean, all things considered. Fewer time problems.” He then quickly glanced at both Jack and the Master. “ I swear, the two of you just like making things more complicated than they need to be.”

Tom looked at the device that was back in his hands, scoffing at the fact that none of them had thought of something so simple. He gave Sally a weak smile. “Do you think I can talk to you first? In private?” 

Thrown off by this request, she awkwardly agreed to go along with him, giving the Master a look to help her. He seemed to have missed it, or maybe he’d just ignored her.

Tom took her by the wrist when they made it near the door. He then led her down the hall a bit before stopping and turning on her. He had a large grin placed across his face. “So I think I got all the information I need from you.” 

The way he was smiling at her made Sally uneasy. “What do you mean?” she said as she tried to pull away from him. 

“Oh, I don't think so.” His grip around her wrist tightened and he pulled her closer into him, his smile growing menacing. “I always had a hunch about you, that you couldn't be trusted.” His face was mere inches from hers. “After seeing your true nature, I know what I must do. I'll go back and stop him once and for all.” 

Sally tried to pull away again, to no avail. “Stop it! You’re hurting me.” But try as she might, his grip was too tight; the more she fought against him, the more it hurt. His fingernails dug into her wrist, threatening to break the skin at any moment. 

“You really are on his side. Aren't you?” His grin had twisted into a snarl. “You have no idea what he has done to me, and I can never forgive anyone who could take his side.” He yanked at her arm once more, just to make the point, and she whimpered in pain as his nails tore into her skin. “I will take him and anyone who sides with him down.”

Just then the Master rounded the corner. Sally tried to cry out for help, but Tom threw a hand over her mouth and shoved her up against the wall, her feet inches above the floor.

Next thing anyone knew, Sally was sagging against the wall, holding her injured wrist, and the Master had Tom pinned against the wall in her place. Tom reached for the manipulator around his arm and pressed a few buttons, dragging both men through time, leaving her staring at the empty space where they had stood.

Sally could do little more than watch as the two of them disappeared, but before she could process it all, the Master reappeared a moment later. He was a little roughed up, but nothing a little straightening of his clothes couldn't fix. He had his TCE in hand and gave himself a moment to catch his breath. 

“Did you kill him?” Sally asked as he composed himself and placed his TCE back in his pocket. 

“What do you think?” But as he looked up, he noticed the three red lines on her wrist that were bleeding slightly. “Sally? Are you alright?” he asked taking a step closer to get a better look. 

Before he could see it, she threw her arms around him. 

*****

When they felt they could both go back in without arousing suspicion, they made their way back to the group. Sally quickly put on a jacket she’d had at her desk to hide her wrist, and the Master made up some story of Tom wanting to get back home as soon as he could. The others seemed a little upset about not being able to say goodbye, but they soon put him out of their minds when they clustered around Jack, who was trying to figure out what had happened to make his vortex manipulator work again.

He hit a few buttons, but that didn’t seem to do anything. Then, before anyone could blink, let alone comprehend what was going on, everything around them went black.

The group stood in total darkness. The room around them suddenly felt unfamiliar. Even the air felt wrong.

“Is everyone okay?” Jack called out.

He felt Ianto’s hand slip into his own. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, me too,” Gwen replied. 

“Alright over here,” said the Master. “Sally? Are you alright?”

“Um, yeah, I think so.” Still, she sounded less okay than everyone else. “I think I bumped my head on something. Hold on... What even is this? Is this a switch?” She flicked a small silver switch that had not been there a moment before. A light blue glow spread throughout the area in which they now stood, outlining the control room of what looked like a spaceship. 

Jack put his hands into the air. “I didn’t do it.”


	22. Chapter 22

The soft blue light lined the ground just enough to show them where they were walking, but not much more. “Um, what happened and where are we?” Gwen tried to stay calm as she said this, but there was still a slight amount of panic seeped through as she spoke. 

“Looks like some kind of spaceship” Jack began to hit some buttons on the control panel. Nothing seemed to happen.

“Is that a good idea to be doing that” Ianto made no effort to hid is concern about what was going on. “I mean, if we are in space, and we have no idea where we are. Is it smart to just be hitting buttons like that?”

“It will be fine” Jack mumbled trying to make out what everything was, having a hard time with the lack of light that was in the room. 

He kept this up until Sally noticed the Master was no longer with them. Commenting on this, Jack and everyone looked at where he once was. But it was short lived for a moment later they heard footsteps coming from the other side of the room. Two beams of lights coming from a long corridor. 

A small-voiced followed behind. “You know I'm not even mad, it feels just like old times.” Instinctively Jack tried to place himself between the lights and his people. Before he could say anything there was what sounded like a loud click. A moment of disorientating blinding light that now flooded the room. When everyone was able to see properly there stood two people behind a set of torches. A short blond girl and a tall thin man with brown hair. Both looking as if Christmas had come early, rushing into the room. 

“Jack” the man screamed before embracing him in a large hug. The moment he let go the girl did the same. Jack must have known them because his reaction to them had been the same. 

Jack turned to every, introducing everyone by one. “Ianto, Gwen, Sally this these are some old friends of mine.”

But before Jack could finish the man was shaking everyone's hand. “Hi, nice to meet you, I'm John Smith and this is Rose Tyler. Brilliant to meet you all.” He then turned to face Jack when he was done introducing himself. His broad smile slightly fading now. “Not to be rude, but how on Earth did you get here.” 

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Jack said with a shrug. As Jack explained what had happened before he began to fiddle with the vortex manipulator on his wrist. As everyone was focused on this man and whatever he was doing to Jack's wrist no one noticed the Master come back into the room. 

He gently grazed her back with his knuckles to catch her attention. “Who is that” He whispered in her ear making her jump slightly. This caused everyone to turn to face them.

“Where did you go?” Jack asked, wrist still being held by John. 

He pointed a finger to the lights. “I figured there should be some kind of switch for the lights.” He then pointed down the hall. “I was just right down there.” As he spoke to Jack his eyes didn't leave the man. He had long let go of Jack's wrist and was staring at the man just as intently before breaking into a large grin once more. 

He moved his way past everyone, re-introducing himself. As he spoke his name the Master chucked to himself. A small grin formed at the corner of his mouth. That was until he took his hand. The twinkle in his eye and the grin failed. He stood there staring at hand for a long time.

John spoke up. “Um, do you think, perhaps I can get my hand back?” he gave him a week smile as he glanced at both of there hands back up at him. 

“Oh, right, pardon” the master let go of his hand. He then began to chuckle once more. “Oh, do forgive me. Where are my manners? I'm Dr. Damien Scott. Now all of this is a bit. Well, a bit odd. Did Jack tell you what happened? Because frankly, I haven't got a clue. One minute we are just standing around next we are. Well, I'm not exactly sure where we are.” he began to look around as if he was trying to make sense of it all. “We can't be as lucky to have run into someone who may know what's going on have we?” 

He stood there staring at him for a moment, almost as if he exacted him to say more, when he didn't he began. “Oh, um, yes. This is our ship.” He made a jester to Rose. “Spaceship, um we had been in cryosleep for, well, I'm not sure. But we are both alive so that's always a good thing.” he flicked a few switches and hit a few buttons before a sigh of defeat came from him. “Looks like we were awakened too early.”

“Now, I'm no expert.” The Master began. “But what I have seen from my experience. Mostly space movies, there is some kind of core power survive that can be turned on. It seems like there is some kind of energy reserve being used right now. After all, you two were supposed to be sleeping right now.” He paused to look at the two of them. He did his best to contain his anger for the two of them. The man talked like him, which was bad enough. But now they are trying to say they had been asleep on his ship. He just had to keep going along with it, they would slip up eventually. “That is what you said isn't it?” A smile that he hoped wouldn't seem suspicious to anyone but the man. One that told him he knew he was lying, but he was willing to play along for now.

John stood there for a moment before answering. “Um, well yes. Perhaps we should go find. I mean go and turn it on, I guess waking up after so long got me a little discombobulated.” 

The Master made his way past everyone to make his ways to Rose. Placing an arm around her well using his other to shake her hand. “What did you say your name was again. I think I missed it before.”

“Rose,” the girl said in a small voice. She felt uneasy around him. It wasn't so much anything he did but seeing how he had responded to his presence she knew she had to be on guard.

The Master gave her his iconic, you can't trust a word that comes out of my mouth smiles “well it's a pleasure to meet you. Perhaps we can go find this power core together, shall we?” He pointed the hall behind her as he began to lead her away.

“Maybe we can all go?” John called out to him. 

“No need, I think me and Rose can handle this on our own. Besides, you can stay here and check if we got it working or not. Maybe signal us when the thing starts running properly up here.” he kept her hand around her shoulder as the began to walk away. 

“Well, maybe you can take Sally with you,” John called out, almost sounding despite.

“I don't need her,” he said back in a dismissively way that made a sharp surge of juicy course through her.

“Well, then Rose can just stay here too.” as John said this the Master stopped where he was standing. A few things crossed his face, first joy, then anger. By the time he swings around, he had what was close to his normal face back on. 

“Well that doesn't make sense, how on earth am I going to find this thing on my own. It's not like I know anything about this ship. This is your and her's ship, after all, I need her to come with me to help me find the way.” turning background the two of them were gone in a meter on seconds. The sliding doors closed behind them. 

John wiped his hands across his face. Pulling his face slightly with it before letting a huge sigh out. “Well, this is going to be a long day” still staring intensely at the door that just closed.

Jack watched him for a moment before speaking up. “Do you know him?” 

John glanced at him as if he didn't hear him, but then answered no. 

“It's just” no one had ever seen Jack look so considered before. “Never minded. I think the better question is are we safe?”

He seemed to think about the question for a moment. “We are in the middle of space, with limited power and no way to safely get out. Aside from that.” He glanced at Sally for a brief second before Gwen, Ianto, then back at Jack. “I'm sure things could be worse” he makes a week attempt at a smile. 

He then flicked at buttons on the scream. “Click, click” nothing, “click click”, nothing, “click click.”

Then a familiar women's voice rain threw the ships seekers. “Welcome aboard, please do everyone a favor and don't touch anything.” the voice then began to go over some more introductions and safety precautions. Sally quickly loss focused on what was being said, as the girl spoke she felt her head flood with pain. Starting from the back and making its way to the front of her brain. 

She did her best to ignore it but it because more and more intense. It took her longer then it should have to realize everyone but John was now staring at her. He still had his eyes on the console.”

“Why does the computer sound like you?” Ianto finally spoke up looking over to Sally

She found she couldn't answer. The pain in her head was now so intense she found she could no longer stand. Collapsing to her knees, holding her head to try to get any relief from the pain. 

She could feel Gwen's arm around her trying to comfort her but everything else wasn’t clear. Words where completely lost to her, everything just hurt. 

The Master burst in the room. A small ticking metal box in his hands. Almost throwing it on an empty spot on the console. “Your stupid” he paused to glance at John then back at Rose. 

“Wife” Rose spoke up just slightly, a look of guilt covered her face. 

His eyes widened as he glanced back over to John. “Wife?” He said almost as if he was appalled by the idea. He quickly shook his head as to sake the idea from his head. “Anyway. Whatever She is, she triggered this. It is some kind of, well, what is assuming is a bomb.” He turned it to John to reveal a timer. Three hours, forty-one mins and counting. 

John grabbed at it. Looking it over from side to side before licking it. 

The Master gave him a disapproving look at this as well. “Was that necessary? 

John ignored this “I think we can figure it out, it seems we have plenty of time.”

“Plenty of time?” Ianto said panic courses threw out his voice. “Plenty of time, that's a bomb. Why is there a bomb on this ship? What are you planning on doing with it?”

“Good question,” the master said, taking the object back from the man. 

“Good question? You don't know?” John gave him a look as he placed it back on the console, examining it only with his eyes. 

“No, not in the slightest,” he said in his most casual voice, almost lost in his own world. Crouching down so he was now eye level with it. “Besides, why would I know, this is your ship after all.”

Jack did the same, now right next to the Master to look at the object as well. “Don't worry, I'm sure he will be able to figure it out.” trying to reassure Damien that things would be taken care of. “I have known him for a long time, and if anyone can figure this out it's him. He's a genius.” Jack said as he stood up, handing the box back over to John. 

“Oh, Jack, and here I was thinking you knew me” he stood back up “I’M the one whos a genius, and I can figure it out on my own.” 

“Maybe it would be better if you two tried to work on it together?” Rose chimed in, at once she saw the looks the two were made at one another. 

“You already caused enough problems,” the Master said to Rose, not taking his eyes off of John. he took a moment to glance at the box then back up at John. “but perhaps two sets of eyes could be better than one?”

“Are you proposing we work together?” slight septation in his voice as one of his eyebrow arched. 

A suspicious smile crept across the Master's face. 

At that, Sally felt another wave of pain pass through her. Unable to stop herself she screamed out in pain. The Master slowly turned, uaawaear she had been on the floor until now. “Sally? Are you alright?” He made his way over to her, crouching down next to her. He lifted her head so she was looking at him. 

“Make it stop” her eyes filled with tears as she pleaded with him, then barring her face in his chest, almost knocking him down.

“What's wrong with her?” Rose asked, concern in her voice as she made her way closer to the girl. 

“Nothing,” the Master said at once, with one arm around her waist and the other on her head, he began petting Sally’s head.

“Clearly there is,” Rose said in a more demanding ton.

“Clearly! You need to mind your own business” the Master snapped. With a more calming voice, he began to speak to the girl “ Sally, I need you to look at me.” she didn't look at him, but attempted to barry herself deeper in his chest. “I said look at me Sally, obey me.” His voice became cold and harsh. This time she did as she was told, her eyes unfocused as she did. 

John, who seemed to be the only one who didn’t have his eye on them, began to look around the room. “Oh,” he said at once as if he had thought of something really clever. “Oh, am I thick. No wonder this place looks formal. This is your ship, isn't it?” an almost pitty befell him once his gaze meat Sally. “Oh, what did you do to her.”

“Nothing” the Master barking at him at first but quickly calming down. “Believe it or not I am just as concerned about her health as anyone else in this room, if not more so”

“All right, if it's not you then what is wrong with her?” John asked, taking a more tester ton as if the question was hypothetical and knew whatever came from his mouth would be a lie. Or close enough to it that it should be taken with a glass of water from the salt lake itself. 

“She said she traveled with someone called the Doctor” Jack began, giving a subtle look at John. “but the strange thing is she says she remembers dying three times. We are thinking the headaches are a result of that.” 

His face went from worried to full on panic. “How?” he dominated “She shouldn’t be able to do that! What did you do?” His voice rising with every word that came from his mouth until he was full on screaming. 

“Oh, you always were an expert on what people can and can't do, Doctor.” Sally buried in his chest once he began to speak, begging him to help her. He took in a deep sigh, holding Sally slightly closer to himself. “This isn't the Sally either of us traveled with.”

“She's not?” John asked, not questioning the fact that the Master knew exactly who he was. “Then who is she?” his voice quieter than before. Now just wanting answers. 

“She’s not from this dimension, she somehow made it into this one, at least the memories of her past lives did. but upon arrival the memories of the Sally Armstrong we both knew got put into her mind.”

The Doctor played with his hair a little as he made a strange face. “Well, then it should be really simple to take care of.” he watched the Master.

Sally pulled herself away from him far enough so she could look at him. “If there is a way to make it stop please do it.” her hands clasped around his arms.

The Master gave her a black stair. “I can't,” he said at last.

“Please, I'm begging you, you have to help me. It hurts so much.” she let herself fall onto his lap once more, tears streaming down her face.

He pulled her head off his lap so he was looking at her face to face. “I can't because you mean to much to me, do you understand what he wants me to do. If I do what he’s proposing, you're going to forget who you are. All your memories with me and the Doctor will be gone. Do you understand that? Is that what you want?” she slowly began to shack her head no. 

“Why don't you ask her that without hypnotizing her?” The Doctor hissed. 

The Master gritted his teeth but didn't say anything as the Doctor did his best to convince Sally he had to let him take the memories from her. “Sally, the memories you have, they are not yours. Not really. You don't know either of us. The memories you have are of a dead person that is now killing you. You have to let them go, they are not real.”

The more the Doctor pushed the idea the more she began to sob. “No, I can't forget everything I have seen. You can’t do this to me.” it went on for a few minutes like that. The Doctor trying to tell her she would be better off without them, then her refusing to give them up. 

“Sally you have to listen to me, whatever he told you, whatever he promised. I'm telling you right now it’s a lie. He doesn't care about you, I'm trying to help you. Don't you see that.” the Doctor pleaded with her, this, however, didn't give him the response he was looking for. Sally was becoming more frustrated with him, along with Rose, who became angry as well. 

“How dare you” she was calm, clearly still in pain but holding it back. “He needs me. You wouldn't know what it's like Doctor, but he was all alone, he didn't travel with anyone. I'm helping him with his work, and I’m” she closed her eyes, trying her best to push past the pain. “But he's not alone anymore, he has me and I will do everything I can to help him. he's going to save the world, and I need to be a part of it.”

The Doctor opened his mouth to say something but was imitate cute off. “Don't you dare!” the voice said, low and harsh. He expected it from the Master, but not from Rose. she stood there almost glaring at him. 

“You don't understand” the Doctor began, clearly hurt by Rose taking her side.

“Maybe I don't” she began, “but from what I see she cares deeply for him, and I can't help but feel for her. I once said the same things about you.” Anger and pain played across her face.

“It's not the same” he tried to tell her, but she threw a hand up to stop him.

“If I was her, I don't care what anyone else had to say, I would never give them memories of you up. And if she is somehow not really her because the memories happened in a different body what does that make you? By your own logic your not the real Doctor, your not the man I fell in love with.” her eyes starting to glaze.

“Rose, I didn’t, it's not the same,” he said in a soft voice trying to reach a hand out to comfort her before she backed away. 

The Doctor fell silent, he had a steely gaze, transfixed on the Masters back again. 

“I think shes made her chose Doctor,” the Master said, focusing his attention on Sally. A small smile appeared on his face. “Is that how you did it, having only one heartbeat. I have to say, nice trick, almost had me fooled for a second. Or are you really the Doctor, I mean here you are going on about how Sally really isn't sally. Perhaps, I mean with your own logic, your not the Doctor. What is it, some kind of clone? You always did like humans so much, I'm taking there is even a little more human in you then there was before? Hum, is that it?” he turned to face the Doctor. “Oh, come on don't look at me like that. I would say I knew what you are thinking but being your not really the Doctor, perhaps I'm mistaking.” 

Unblinking the Doctor stared at him. “Shut up!”

The Master had laughed that made everyone uncomfortable “Oh! Did I hit a nerve there Doctor? But rest assured, I have nothing but Sally’s well being in mind, you should have more faith in me.

“Right? The Master caring for someone other than himself. That will be the day.” he scuff, a moment later his eye was off the Master and on Jack who had a gun pointing at the Masters' head. “Jack, what are you doing, put the gun down.”

Jack’s eyes focused on the back of the Masters' head as he spoke. “Sorry, Doctor. I can't forgive him for what he did...or is it what he's going to do?”


	23. Chapter 23

"Well I can't think of anything I have done to you to warrant this kind of reaction, so I'm going to guess it's something I haven't done yet." he seemed very calm by the whole thing, even going as far as seeing it as a joke. "Oh, by the way, Jack, I would think twice about what you're doing. That is, if you don't want anyone you loved to be hurt."

"Don't threaten me," Jack said, still holding the gun with a steady hand. 

The Doctor's eye grew large,  worried as he looking past the man with the gun. "Jack, I would really put the gun down if I was you," as he took a few steps back.

"I know he's your friend, but he doesn't deserve to live. I'm sorry but"

"JACK, put the gun down" Ianto screamed, panic flooding his voice as he did. As Jack turned around he could see Ianto holding a gun up to his own head. Horror filling his eyes as beads of sweat began to pearl on his face. "Jack, do something!" he pleaded. 

Jack turned back around to the Master who had been ignoring him saying something to Sally that seemed to stop her pain. She sat there staring into the distance like a zombie as he stood up. A wicked grin on his face. "Oh, are you going to shoot me, Jack? Just so you know I'm notorious for holding grudges and can't be held responsible for anything I do."

"Don't threaten me!" Jack demanded, the hand he held the gun with beginning to shake. "Besides, a threat isn't as scary if you already made good on it."

This didn't seem to bother the Master, in fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself even more. "Then do it" his voice went deep and cold, a moment later, snapping back to his twisted cheerful disposition. "Oh, come on Jack, you're not just going to throw empty threats like that around are you, where's your backbone?"

"Don't do it" the Doctor warned, his eyes darting from Ianto to the Master back to Jack. 

The Master turned his head just enough to see the Doctors reaction. "Oh, do you think I can regenerate fast enough so I watch poor little Ianto over there bleed out?"

"Stop it, you don't" the Doctor began, anger filling him.

"I don't have to do this, I don't have to do that. Oh, can you stop committing genocide for fun? God, Doctor, do you have any other words in your vocabulary. Or are you just a broken record?" he turned back to face Jack. "Well Jack, are you going to shoot me and let Ianto and potentially everyone on this ship die? Or are you going to put the gun down so me and the Doctor can resume work on defusing that bomb? You do remember there is a bomb on board right?"

"Stop it," the Doctor said under gritted teeth. 

The realization he had no choice come over Jack as he slowly put his gun down. At the same time, Ianto put his down. And a moment later Jack had him in his embrace, consoling him. Ianto's eyes fixed on the Master who casually pick the metal box up, slowly walking across the room with it. 

"What did you do to him?" Jack called out, his grip on Ianto tightening. 

"Who, me?" he asked as if none of that had just happened, even finding himself laughing about it. "Oh, not much. You see Ianto here found out what I was up to. Taking parts from Torchwood to work on my own TARDIS." he gave a look of great annoyance "It became unusable after SOMEONE ripped an important part of it out, even though I told you that you couldn't do that." His gaze fell on the Doctor as he spoke. 

"I'm not apologizing, you did the same thing to me not five mins before that." the Doctor reluctantly set next to him, knowing the best thing for everyone would be to help him.

"Oh, I don't expect you to. I just wanted to make it clear whos fail this is. But you see Ianto seen me obtaining some of your alien artifacts. And before you go and trying to reprimand him for not telling you to be aware I wiped his mind so he wouldn't remember. Oh, and I also may have set a fail-safe for myself as in if anyone threats to kill me he will not be able to stop himself from threatening or even killing himself. So in a way, his life is in my hands."

The Master and Doctor began working on the bomb. Jack took Ianto to sit down and calm his nerves, Sally still sat in the same spot, with the same zombified look on her face. Gwen wrapped her arms around her not knowing what else to do. Rose watched her, looking at her blank stare. Waving her hands in front of her face. 

Rose looked over to where the Master was sitting, angry that she defined him. "What did you do to her, she trusted you?" she asked, her anger visible to everyone in the room. 

The Master glanced over to the girls before putting attention back on the box. "Oh, she fine," he said in a casual way, not sounding to concern about it. "I just temporarily made her numb to all feelings. She should be fine shortly, and the nasty headache should be gone as well."

Rose wasn't happy with the answer he gave her, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. She gave the girl a week smile. "Are you in there Sally?" the girl's eyes slowly shifted toward her, still dull and lifeless. Rose not knowing what else to do took a seat next to Jack who still had his arm around Ianto, watching the Master like a hawk. 

*****

The clock now read one hour thirteen minutes left as the Master and Doctor passed the box back and forth, trying to disarm the bomb. The Master watching intensely as the Doctor provided a few buttons, and moved some small wires aside to get a better look at the inner workings. 

When Sally starting finding herself come around she found herself sitting on the floor by herself. The only people left in the room was the Master and Doctor. 

"You're doing it wrong" the Master insisted, snatching the device from his friend. 

The Doctor watched him as he did something with it before he noticed Sally looking around. He watched the girl for a few minutes before she got up and made her way over to where the two was working. 

She looked around the room as she held her own head. She wasn't in nearly as much pain as she was in before, but it was still present. "Where is everyone?" She asked before sitting down next to the Master.

Without looking up at her he spoke. "They think they can find a way out of here before this bomb goes off. Also, I asked them to look for a room that had a cryochamber that we may be able to put the bomb if we are not able to stop it in time. But the room has to be prepared first, and in all honesty probably wouldn't work anyway." 

Sally stayed quiet for some time. Watching the two was fascinating. She couldn't help but smile at how they bickered like an old married couple. It seemed to validate her joke about the Doctor being his boyfriend. 

"Didn't you say he was the Doctor, shouldn't he have a TARDIS. Couldn't we just take the bomb elsewhere and let it go off in an empty part of space."

The doctor now acknowledging Sally, "you were also so clever. It's a shame he's got his claws so deep in you. You were such a nice girl."

"How would you know? You barely knew me." A small twinge of pain came over as she quickly grabbed for her head. 

"Are you alright Sally?" The Master now looking at her for the first time after she set down. As she shook her head he reached into his jacked taking a small pouch, taking out a blue and white caspia. "Here," he said extending a hand to her. "This should help," he said as she took and swallowed the pill."

The Doctor watched the exchange, a curious looked came over his face. "What was that?" 

"Don't you worry yourself with the details Doctor. Besides we have to worry about you. Oh and to answer your question, this bomb is so powerful that I could distort half the cosmos if it goes off. So even if the Doctor would be kind enough to let us know where he put his TARDIS there is little it can do right now."

"You know what would help?" The Doctor shot him a look that he ignored. "If you didn't have a word distorting bomb on your ship. It's always the same, someone thinks they can make a difference by threatening everyone around them." 

The Master returned the look before going back to his work. "Where would the fun in that be?" 

The Doctor reached over for Sally's hand. "Sally, it's not too late." He began in a soft voice. "Tell me what he's planning. You can make this right."

She went to open her mouth a moment, considering what it would mean if they didn't figure this out.

The Master didn't take his eyes off the box "Sally no fraternizing with the enemy" his words echoing through her head as she pulled away from the Doctor's reach. 

She couldn't answer. For two reasons, 1) she could never betray the Master. And 2) she truly had no idea what he was playing. She couldn't see him not have planned for the girl to trigger the bomb, but she had no idea why. 

"You know what you have in common with Kings James, Caesar, Harold Saxon, Genghis Khan, and Timur all have in common?" the Doctor stared intensely at the Master, his eyes not wavering from where he set. "They were all ruthless, heartless rulers who ending being killed for it. For once in your life maybe you should take my advice and just stop."

The Doctor pulled his own hand back before everyone else entered the room, Jack in the lead. "we found the room." He said, looking at the Doctor than to the Master. "But I want some answers before we do anything else."

Gwen raced over to Sally to check on her well being when she realized she had been awake. 

"I don't have time for this" the Master began before handing the box over to the Doctor, as he did this Sally realized she recognized it. It had been the same inner workings as the radio Gwen showed her when she first started working for Torchwood. 

The Master put on what he assumed was a pleasant face as he addressed Jack. "Fine, I suppose it's only fair you know what I needed that room for. But I really must be getting back to this. I'll explain it in greater detail when we start over."

Rose went over next to the Doctor, trying to look at what he was doing when the Master looked over at the two of them. The Doctor's brow scrunched as he began to frown as the Master quickly snatched it from him. 

"No this will not do" he began to say to himself. "This timer is in the way" he jiggled it ever so slightly.

"Don't do that" the Doctor warned. "If anything in there is moved the wrong way it can blow the entire thing up." The Master gave him a look that chilled him to the core. "What are you up to?"

The Master tour the piece of, letting it fall to the ground, a smirk on his face that the Doctor knew all too well. He had tricked him somehow, he didn't know what he was playing, but he knew he let himself fall right into his trap.  "There, that's much better. I think we got it" he moved one last thing before looking to everyone holding their breath. He began to laugh at this. "what? Did you think by me doing that would have it go off?" He began to laugh again. A chill went through everyone as he did this standing up as he started to the door. 

He looked down at the box, before looking at everyone else. "Oh, by the way. This isn't a bomb. I just knew that would be the only way to get you to help. By the way, I suppose I should thank you. I couldn't have done it without you. Well, I could have. I suppose I just wanted to get a second opinion before I tested it out. I'll only have one shot at this." He began to open the door. "Sally come along." He said waiting for her to go over to him placing his arm around her shoulder. "Oh, you're all welcome to come as well. 

*****

As the Master led a group of a reluctant team they made their way into a room with rows of metal desk lined with computer and test tubes. And large glass chamber to their right with a blue gem hovering slightly above it. 

"That's it, you need to tell us what you're up to, now," Jack said in his most commanding voice. 

The Master didn't take him seriously as he began to laugh at him once more. "Oh really, let's make one thing perfectly clear." His voice went lower the longer he spoke. "No one tells me what I can and can't do." 

The Doctor looked around in horror. "You can't do this!" He shouted

"But I already have." He said with a broad grin across his face.

"Do what, Doctor, what is he doing?" Rose said with some distress in her voice. She stood close to the Doctor, her arm around his. 

"It wouldn't work, you would need at least twenty to thirty people to pull this off." the Doctor tried to calm himself down. Trying to pull as much information out of him as he could. "And it would have to be of people out of place. Not in their right time."

"I had thought about that. I even had the people lined up. Pulling there existence from one dimension to this one. Lining it with the versions of themselves in from the other dimension to the ones in the area." 

"That would kill them," the Doctor said, discuss written all over him.

"Only their bodies, both minds would live in the one body. Now most people's lives are so similar they can hardly tell, at the most it would just cause a Mendel's effect."

"That's why you had Tom send all them people you are time, you were going to use them for this," Jack said, still not sure what he needed them for.

"Of course," he said with a big grin, arm still tightly gripped around Sally's shoulder. "But I quickly learned I didn't need them. Yes, I would need quite a few of them because their lives would only vary slightly. But if I had someone who not only lived one life but two separate lives in the same space—one that traveled through all of time and space—I could harness that power. It would be exponentially stronger than any amount of people I could bring over."

"It wouldn't work," the Doctor said, a smug look on his face. "That process would take years. The memories are too different to register as the same person."

Sally was now finding it had to breathe. The Master's grip tightening around her. She looked up at him, hoping to get some kind of reassuring look that she would be okay, but he was now actively avoiding her gaze.

He pulled the pouch with the pills in it out of his pocket, tossing it to the Doctor. "Not if I had a little help."

As the Doctor began to inspect them his smile faded. "You can't do this," the Doctor barked. "It could kill her!"

A brick hit Sally's stomach as she tried to pull away, his tight griped. "No" she cried out, "I have done everything you asked. I'm your friend. Please, you can't do this." She begged as he pulled her toward the glass chamber. 

"Sacrifice must be made by all, my dear." He tried pushing her in after opening the door. She clung to his arm. "This is what you signed up for all those years ago. I need to be able to freely travel through the different dimensions. I'm not going to get stuck in a dying world."

She kept ahold of him, frantically begging him to spare her. "No, please, not again! I can't die like this again." She did her best to hold on to him. He shouted for her to let go, but she wouldn't give up without a fight. That was until she felt a sharp pain in her stomach where he planted his foot to pry her off of him.

A moment later the door was shut and his back was to her. She pounded on the glass, begging him to release her. Soon her head became cloudy as the sound her fist made against the glass became quieter. 

The last thing she heard was his voice. "Now, Doctor, if you want her to have any chance of surviving this, you will cooperate." His hand was placed flat against the glass. She tried to reach for his fingertips as she felt herself collapsing to the bottom of the chamber, losing all consciousness.


	24. Chapter 24

Sally woke to Jack and Ianto pulling her out of the glass capsule. "Sally, are you alright?" Ianto asked as Jack gently tapped her cheeks. She slowly opened her eyes. The blue gem that set on top the machine now missing. 

The Doctor, Gwen, and Rose running back. "He got away," Gwen said, slightly out of breath. "Is she..." She looked over to where Sally was as the two men helped her to her feet. 

"She seems alright," Jack said as the two of them brought her to a chair. 

The Doctor crouched down in front of her. "Sally, you're not going to feel good for the next few days. But you're going to make it through this. Your mind had been melded with two different sets of events. To be able to make it through that is remarkable. I'm going to take you home." He stood up extending a hand for her. "Do you think you can walk?"

As they began to walk out, Ianto stopped at one of the desk. "This wasn't here before," he said as he picked a single piece of paper on the desk as he began to read the words that were on it: 

Sorry I couldn't stick around. People to kill, university to exploit. You know the drill. I wanted to thank you again, Doctor. I couldn't have done it without you.

With my most humble gratitude,  
The Master. 

P.S. Thanks for the little history lesson. I looked up that Harold Saxon, interested chap, I think I may write a few books about him.

Ianto looked around the room for an answer "what does that mean?"

The Doctor watched the note before shrugging his shoulders "I haven't the faintest clue."

*****

The Doctor had taken Jack, Gwen, and Ianto back to Torchwood before taking Sally home. As she walked out of the TARDIS doors into her bedroom the Doctor followed. She turned around thinking he must of made a mistake. 

"Are you allowing me to get some things before we go?" But he didn't say anything he just set on her bed, looking up at her. "I mean back to 1970. This isn't. I mean." She trailed off, not sure what she would say.

The Doctor still had a kind look on his face but made no attempt to get up. "Is that where you want to go, Sally?"

"I doubt I'm welcome at Torchwood anymore." A sadness came over her as she thought about this. She played with something on the dresser as she spoke.

"Why is that?" He asked in a naive way that made Sally do a double-take. Then he smiled. "The Sally that was working with the Master all those years ago is dead." He glanced her way, shrugging his shoulders. "The Sally that worked with me is also dead. Even the Sally you were before all this happened is dead. You get a new start. It's up to you which path you take this time."

"But I remember it all," she began.

"Yes!" The Doctor said quickly as he stood up. "But that's all they are now, memories. They don't make you who you are." He gave her a warm smile. "Besides, if you still want to work with Torchwood I could put in a good word for you. Tell them the Master had you under hypnosis the entire time. You know, Rose and I are just breaking this new TARDIS in. We would love it if you, all of you at Torchwood, would go with us for a test drive." 

"I don't know about all of that," she began "I mean for one, how do any of you know you can trust me?" She stopped for a moment, as her smile faded. " That's it. You don't trust me, do you?"

He didn't speak but held out a finger. "Hold that thought." He bounced back into his TARDIS, having it disappear for a moment before reappearing. 

He jumped out of his TARDIS, all smiles now.  "Okay, to answer your questions. One, yeah there may be a little distrust. But on a brighter note, everyone wants to give you another chance. And even better news, I talked them all into traveling with me. I told them I would give everyone a few months to get comfortable with everything that had happened. But all and all, I think things turned out rather nicely, don't you?" 

"You mean, you going to have them keep an eye on me to see if you can trust me in your TARDIS?" She watched his face change a few times before finally answering.

"Well, I wouldn't put it exactly like that. There is a little bit more to it than that." A moment later he had the same grin on his face. "So what do you say, Sally?"

"It's all well and good. But how do it know I can trust you?" His smile faded as she spoke. "You like to see yourself the hero, don't you? And the Master is more than willing to play the villain. But the truth is that I don't see much of a difference between the two of you. You both are very selfish. Granted, in different ways, but—"

"Oh, now, you just hang on one minute," the Doctor cut in. "No, we are nothing alike. He tricks people, he uses people, and puts no thought into the consequences." The Doctor, slightly flustered by the comment, slowly started to regain his composure.

"You care about individual people where he things on a larger scale. Remember, Doctor, I seen you put the entire universe in danger in order to save one girl. And you may not want to control everything, but you just as bossy as he is. I seen the way you enter a room as if you already own it. Don't tell me you're not, on some fundamental level, the same as him."

The two of them didn't speak for some time after that until the Doctor broke the silence. "You still care for him, don't you?"

Sally glanced at her feet. "Are you telling me you don't? If it's true, he dies as Harold Saxon and you told him about it? I mean, you can't really expect him to still be dead, can you?" She watched him, recognizing that look on his face, it was the same look he made when thinking of a way to phrase something to sound kinder. "If you really were opposed to what he was doing, you would just let him die, not try to prevent it. You know what I think? I think you see it as a game, the two of you. Everything is just a way to show off and prove just how smart you are."

"That's not fair." The Doctor seemed truly shaken by this idea, but he also knew it some way she was right. He thought for a moment.

Before he could speak Sally smiled at him. "To be fair, you do your best to save as many as you can, as far as I can see you do your best to protect the ones who travel with you. Even if there are some casualties along the way."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't..." He got a piece of paper and began writing a number down. He slowly handed it to Sally. "If you need anything, anything at all, this is a direct number to my TARDIS. I want to make up for the first time we met."

"Don't worry about it, Doctor. I did leave you in a freezer to, well, die. I think we are even." She gave him a weak smile that he reciprocated. She looked around her bedroom, feeling a small twinge of guilt as she did. "Do you think I would be alright if I kept the apartment?"

"I don't see why not," he said, confused by the question. 

"It's just... I'm pretty sure he killed the lady that lived here so I could get this place." She did her best to avoid his gaze.

"Oh, I see." He looked around the room in a new light. "That's something you'll have to decide on your own." 

"So you said a few months to get used to the idea? I will think about it." 

He sat with her for a few minutes before getting up. "Yeah." He then made his way to his TARDIS, only turning when he made it to the doors. "See you in a few months, Sally Armstrong."

"See you in a few minutes, Doctor," she said under her breath as he placed the small piece of paper with his number on her dresser and left in his TARDIS.

She slowly walked to her dresser, her finger gently tracing the paper the Doctor had left. She thought she may stay here, see how everyone felt about her. If things didn't work out she could always get the Doctor to take her home. Before her thoughts could go any further than that she could hear the sound of the TARDIS appearing once more. 

What did he forget to tell me now? She thought to herself as she turned around. "I thought you said a few months."  her heart dropped, it wasn't a blue police box, but a large wardrobe. And it hadn't been the Doctor, but the Master. 

"Months?"  An expression of confusion flicked across his face before a grin replaced it. "No, I didn't say anything about that. Well, not yet anyway." He pulled a small blue gem out of his pocket. It somehow seemed shinier than it was before. His eyes seemed to shine as bright as he held it up to show Sally. "Now, we are free to go anywhere not only in time and space, but in any dimension as well!" He was now standing right next to Sally. He glanced down, noticing the number but not saying anything about it. When Sally didn't move, he frowned. "What are you waiting for? I got my TARDIS working again, as you can clearly see. Get your stuff, there's no time to lose!" He paused, finding the humor in that. "Well, I suppose with a time machine we have all the time we need, but I really would like to test this to see how it works. What do you say?"

Sally didn't answer him, a part of her was scared to. Partly because she wanted to and partly because she was now frightened of him. "Well, best of luck with that." She found herself taking a few steps back.

His grin faded as she did so. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying you're not coming along?" He picked the paper up from her dresser, taking a quick look at it before setting it back down.

"Yes," she tried to say with confidence, falling slightly short. 

"Sally, what are you talking about? Of course you're coming with me. Get into the TARDIS." He took this as a joke, he couldn't see any reason she wouldn't want to come with him. 

"No." Sally spoke up with the same level of confidence she had before.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I said no!" Louder, but with fear in her voice. The look in his eyes now filled her with dread. She soon found she was having a hard time breathing. She reached for the dresser to keep herself stable. He took a few steps closer, his body pressed up to her own. She reached her arm back to grab for anything she could grab to defend herself. 

Before she could grab anything he snatched her arm up. "You weren't planning on trying to hurt me, were you?" She tried to struggle, tried to get free from his grip. As she tried he bent her arm up and in a position that made it hard for her to even move it let alone get away.  "After everything I did for you, this is how you repay me." His grip tightening around her wrist. 

"Please stop, you're hurting me." As she spoke he twisted it ever so slightly until she cried out. "Ow! I said stop!" she seen his other hand reach into his jacket. Her eyes widened, she knew what would be next. Her eyes darting from his hand to just below his face. "Please, I'm not betraying you, I'm just tired. Please, don't do this. You can't do this to me, not after all I have done for you."

"What you did for me?" His eye caught a glimpse of his own hand on her wrist. "Please do tell me, Ms. Armstrong. What exactly have you done for me that anyone else couldn't do? What makes you think you're special in any way to me?" His grip on the hand loosened, as a smile crossed his face. It was the one he got when he was planning something. 

He moved even closer to her so that his cheek was just barely touching hers. She could feel the beating of his hearts, much slower than her own. A sound that was once comforting, feeling every inch of her with terror. Perhaps if he hadn't been so calm about it. Perhaps if she hadn't seen him with the same look, the same calm expression he had before killing so many times before it wouldn't have been so bad. But the truth was, she had.  She did her best to not show her fear. "I'm not going to kill you Sally" he whispered in her ear. A short-lived moment of relief fell upon her. "You know, I almost trusted you." She attempted to respond, but his grip around her wrist told her that wasn't an option. "You know it's so hard to find people you can trust in this world," he continued in a low, dark tone. "I wonder how long it will take you to realize you can't trust anyone, Ms. Armstrong. You know me. You know I will never let anyone betray me. I would rather have someone dead before I let them take the Doctor's side over mine. But for you, I'll make an exception. I'll just watch, and the best part is you'll never know it's me. I can be anyone. For all you know, one of my future selves has already befriended you, working on the best way to ruin your life. 

As the master pulled away from her he let go of her wrist in a way so she would have to look at it. He hasn't broken the skin, but his finger had dug in, an impression on the exact same spots that Tom had grabbed her. It felt like she would be sick. Before she could find her voice he had already gotten into his TARDIS and was dematerializing. 

She felt herself slide to the floor, hands covering her face. She quickly kicked her one leg out in frustration before curling up on herself.  Now that he was gone, she felt her tears stream from her eyes. She couldn't breathe. She had made an enemy of the Master, something she never intended on doing, and she knew it would be child's play for him to ruin her life. And he, of course, was right; she wouldn't be able to trust anyone ever again. He could literally be anyone. She sat there for hours, not knowing what the rest of her life would be. Not only had she lost a good friend, but that same person would now go to any length to ruin her life. And the worst part was that she knew what he was capable of.


	25. Chapter 25

"So, that's why you can't trust men?" the woman asked. She was sitting across from Sally at a cute little table, sipping her tea.

She, of course, couldn't tell this woman the full story, how she had been hanging out with and helping a homicidal alien that had such low self-esteem that just telling him she was done traveling after he attempted to kill her caused him to feel betrayed. No, she made it sound like a bad break up. Oh, if only, Sally thought.  

"Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but I really can't trust any man," Sally said, before taking a sip of her own tea. "I know it sounds silly, but I just." She paused watching some birds wounded around them. "You know, I think that may be a nightingale." Trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

The women broke a piece of her scone off, throwing it in the general direction of the birds. "I'm sorry, I can see this is making you uncomfortable. You said your boss may be traveling soon and wanted you to come along with him. Why don't you do that? I think it will be good for you to get away." The woman's smile seemed comforting to Sally somehow. She always gave her the impression of a kind soul, like she was Mary Poppins and had her best interest at heart. 

"Oh, I don't know about that. I don't think I..." she gave the women a look. "Do you really think it would help?" She thought about what that would mean, and whether having the Doctor around might actually help. 

"I need you to do me a favor first." The woman began to write something down on a piece of paper, then handed to Sally. Sally looked at her, confused by what it said. "That's the address of a prison. There is a woman there who has had some nasty luck lately, and she is going to need a friend if she's going to survive the next few months. I need you to give her something that may help her." The women handed her something that looked like a thin silver watch. "It will put a small force field up around anyone who wears it. After she does what she needs to do, she will need somewhere to stay. Her name is Lucy Saxon. You're not going to like her, I can tell you that right now, but I think you two will have a lot in common and should both be able to help one another out." 

The woman smiled at her as Lucy looked at the paper. Sally had become so interested in the paper she didn't notice the women getting up and started to walk away until she heard her call out. "Have fun on your trip, Mrs. Armstrong. Do try and be careful... There are a lot of nasty people out there." 


End file.
